Cream Cheese-Stuffed, Streusel-Topped, Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins

A few years ago, I started hosting a Christmas brunch for my family every Christmas. It's always so much fun, and I try to keep the menu very simple so it doesn't become stressful. I make a Crock pot breakfast casserole and some muffins, and my sister brings her French toast casserole. I serve things I can make ahead of time, and never have I been more glad about that than last year.

I can't remember if I mentioned it here, but last Christmas Eve, I was struck with a horrible, terrible, no-good stomach bug. It was so awful. I was stuck at home in bed, feeling miserable, while my family was celebrating without me. Thankfully, I'd prepared everything for our brunch the next morning earlier in the day before I got sick, so I didn't have to cancel it. I didn't feel like eating much on Christmas morning, but I was so happy to just be with my family at that point!

Sorry for talking about sickness in a post about food, but all of that was to say: I made these muffins for Christmas brunch last year, and they were ah-mazing. Like seriously, seriously delicious. As I mentioned, I like to keep things easy for this particular celebration, so these muffins start with boxed mix that is jazzed up with the additions of a sweetened cream cheese filling and a delectable orange-pecan streusel. I don't typically bake muffins from a box, but I was so surprised by how well these came out and how fresh they tasted. They're the perfect balance of sweet and tart and such a festive way to start Christmas morning...or any morning, really.

Cream Cheese-Stuffed, Streusel-Topped, Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins

slightly adapted from StoneGable

For the muffins:

 

1 box cranberry-orange muffin mix (I used Krusteaz Light)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon orange zest

For the filling:

 

8 ounces cream cheese

3 tablespoons confectioners sugar

1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest

For the streusel:

1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest 

1. Preheat oven according to muffin mix recipe. Spray two 24-cup mini muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray. Mix muffin recipe as directed, adding vanilla and orange zest. 

2. In a seperate bowl, add all filling ingredients and beat on high with a mixer for 1 minute. 

3. In a third bowl, mix all topping ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork. The butter should be well-incorporated and the topping should be crumbly. 

4. Add a tablespoon of the muffin batter to each mini muffin cup (about half full). Add 1 teaspoon of the filling to the center of the muffin batter in the cups. Top with another tablespoon of the muffin batter. Top each muffin with crumb topping. 

5. Bake according to box directions, minus about 5 minutes for mini muffins. When done, cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Take muffins out of pan and let cool completely.

 

Vanilla Bean Chocolate Chip Muffins

My younger son is a muffin nut. The child has never met a muffin that he didn't like. He asks for them all the time, and it's gotten to the point where nearly every time I head towards the kitchen, he's trailing after me asking, "You makin' me muffins, Mama?" He recently asked me to make him some vanilla muffins, and since it is impossible for me to resist the big brown eyes and sweet little voice of my baby, I gave in.

Loaded with vanilla beans, vanilla yogurt, and vanilla extract, these muffins are absolutely bursting with flavor. The milk chocolate chips of course work perfectly with the vanilla, and the muffins themselves have a light and fluffy texture. I served both of the boys a warm muffin with just a bit of butter melted over the top, and they were very happy little guys. Hopefully these muffins will quell Will's muffin mania for a couple of weeks -- but I doubt it!

Vanilla Bean Chocolate Chip Muffins

adapted from 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out

2 tablespoons vanilla yogurt

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, whisk the egg, butter, milk, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, and yogurt. Fold into the flour mixture. (If the mixture's too dry, add a little bit more milk or yogurt.) Once the batter is fully combined, stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Fill each tin two-thirds full. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the muffin tops are golden.

Maple Brown Sugar Muffins

 

There’s just something about a warm muffin, straight from the oven, eaten with coffee, in your pjs, on a chilly weekend morning. That is pretty much my idea of a perfect scenario, and one that I’ve been repeating nearly every weekend lately.

My family was so happy to have these for breakfast. They make the house smell absolutely amazing while they’re cooking, and the maple flavor is spot-on. The texture of the muffins is perfect, with a crackly streusel top, a rich golden color, and a moist center. Spread with just a bit of butter, they taste almost exactly like pancakes!

And just for fun, check out what’s going on behind the scenes whenever I try to take pictures of food.

There are always two sweet little boys who are eager to help! :)

Maple Brown Sugar Muffins
adapted from Taste of Home

For the muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine the milk, butter, syrup, sour cream, egg and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.

2. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. For topping, combine the flour, sugars, and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter.

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 16 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (mine took the full 20). Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Makes 16 muffins.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

It’s high time I joined the ranks of food bloggers extolling the virtues of these muffins. I made them for the first time this year, and I really, really wish I hadn’t waited so long. They’re so delicious, and I won’t even tell you how quickly two dozen of them disappeared from my kitchen.

There are two things that make these better than your average pumpkin muffin: 1. the streusel topping, which makes a crackly, spicy-sugary crust on top of the muffins; and 2. the cream cheese filling, which is actually more like cream cheese frosting. I added a little bit of vanilla to the filling to make it taste even more like frosting. I am powerless to resist the pumpkin-cream cheese combo. Powerless, I tell you.

While I was making these, I was wondering why the freeze-the-cream-cheese-mixture step was necessary. I thought maybe the cream cheese mixture was too heavy for the batter, so I froze it as indicated. But my friend Amanda just went ahead and dolloped the mixture into each muffin without freezing it first, and she said it worked out just fine. So I won't bother messing with the freezing step next time.

There was too much clove flavor for my tastes, so I’ve adjusted that in the recipe below. But other than that and the freezing step, I won’t change a thing when I make these again. And I will be making them many, many times – this fall and every fall to come.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
adapted from Annie’s Eats

For the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

For the topping:

1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1. To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

2. To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

3. To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

4. To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Saturdays with Rachael Ray: Monkey Bread Muffins

I'm so glad I'm posting this recipe on a Saturday, because that gives you the perfect opportunity to make these for breakfast tomorrow morning. And believe me, you absolutely should make them. They're so delicious, and perfect with a cup of coffee.

I thought these monkey bread muffins were such a clever idea. They have all the same flavors as traditional monkey bread, but they seem much more accessible than the traditional version since they're baked in muffin cups. The one problem I had with these was a pretty obvious one: They stuck to the pan. So if you make them, just be sure you're really generous with the cooking spray.

Spicy, sweet, toasty and warm -- these are the perfect breakfast treat.

Don't forget to check out Taste and Tell's Saturdays with Rachael Ray for more delicious recipes!

Monkey Bread Muffins

from Every Day with Rachael Ray

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled 

3 tablespoons maple syrup 

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 

1/3 cup brown sugar 

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

3/4 cup buttermilk, chilled

1. Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, microwave 4 tablespoons butter and the maple syrup at high power until melted, 30 seconds; stir. In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar and the cinnamon. 

2. In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and the salt; pulse to combine. Cut the remaining 1 stick chilled butter into small pieces and pulse with the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Pulse in the buttermilk until the dough just comes together. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface; pat into a 10-inch square (the dough will be sticky). Quarter the dough, then cut each quarter into 16 equal pieces; roll into balls.

3. Dip each ball in the maple butter, then coat with the sugar mixture. Place 5 to 6 coated balls into each muffin cup and press to compact.

4. Bake until cooked through and golden, 15 to 17 minutes (tent with foil if the tops darken too quickly). Transfer the muffin pan to a rack and cool for 10 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the sides of the monkey bread; invert onto a platter, then turn right side up. Serve warm.

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread Muffins

My oldest son really loves baking with me, and he’s at an age where he’s able to help me a lot more. I usually bake something every weekend and he’s always right there with me, pulling a chair in from the dining room, saying, “What we makin’ today, Mommy? I help you!” When I told him one weekend that we were making peanut butter cup banana bread muffins, I rendered him speechless. So many of his favorite things, all in one treat – it was probably the pinnacle of his young life.

These muffins really are pretty incredible. The banana bread base is moist and flavorful on its own, but the addition of peanut butter cups just takes these muffins over the top. They were a huge hit with both of my boys and my husband. And to his credit, Andrew didn’t steal too many of the peanut butter cup pieces for snacking. He is three, though, so some product loss was to be expected. :)

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread Muffins
adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
4 very ripe large bananas
4 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
10 regular sized peanut butter cups, chopped into small pieces and coated in 1 tablespoon of flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 12-cup muffin tins or line them with paper liners.

2. Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and bananas and beat until uniformly blended.

3. Sift together the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and mix just until you cannot longer see any of the dry ingredients. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in candy pieces.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Lemon Yogurt Sugar Muffins

Lemon. Yogurt. Sugar. Muffins. What’s not to love about those four words? When you put them all together, they make up one luscious, irresistible sweet treat that would be absolutely perfect for Easter this weekend.

As soon as I saw this recipe pop up in my blog reader, I knew I’d be making these muffins. This is in spite of the fact that my husband detests lemon desserts (he had a bad experience with something called “lemonade pie” years ago, and it really stuck with him). I’m so glad that I made them anyway, because my boys and I loved them -- and I even caught Joe sneaking a second muffin after he’d just told me that they were only “all right.” He has a lemon-hating reputation to uphold, apparently.

These muffins remind me of the pumpkin doughnut mini muffins I love so much, in that both muffins are dipped in butter and rolled in sugar. It’s such a wonderful method to use to add a different textural element. I upped the lemon flavor of these even more by using lemon yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt called for in the original recipe. I love the way the crackly, sweet sugar complimented the soft, tangy muffins. I’m going to try this with oranges, too, and I can almost guarantee that version will be just as delicious.

By the way, if you haven’t checked out Reeni’s blog, you really should. She has so many incredible original recipes. Somebody needs to get that girl a cookbook deal!

Lemon Yogurt Sugar Muffins
slightly adapted from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup lemon yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted butter
Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a mini muffin pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate large bowl stir together milk, lemon juice, 1/4 cup butter, egg, yogurt, lemon zest and vanilla (don't worry if it looks clumpy or curdled).

3. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and add wet, stir just to combine. Spoon batter or use an ice cream scoop to fill muffin pan. Bake 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

4. Cool pans on wire racks 5 minutes, then turn out and brush tops with melted butter. Dip or roll in sugar while still warm. Best eaten immediately. If they cool off and become sticky roll in sugar again.

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Muffins

That’s right: another muffin recipe. What can I say? Muffins are one of my absolute favorite things to bake. They’re so simple and delicious and, even if they’re very sweet, you can totally get away with having them for breakfast -- which is what I’ve been doing with this particular batch for the last week or so.

The flavors of cranberry, orange, and white chocolate go so well together. In these muffins, the tart cranberries, bright oranges, and sweet white chocolate combine to make a flavorful, moist, perfectly balanced muffin. They’d be perfect for brunch on Christmas Day!

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Muffins
adapted from Allrecipes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line them with paper liners.

2. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add orange juice, vanilla, and eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Gradually add to wet ingredients. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips.

4. Pour into muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes or until brown. (Yield: 14 to 18 muffins)

Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Sorry I’ve been absent this week, but the truth is, my mind has been consumed with other things lately. Thankfully those other things have been happily resolved, so hopefully I’ll have a little bit more time to focus on blogging.

With Christmas only a week and a half away (can you believe it?!), I’ve been thinking a lot about baking. I’m doing my major cookie baking this weekend, but I made these muffins a couple of weeks ago as the official kick-off of my holiday baking. They were on my baking list last year, but I didn’t get around to making them because I was hugely, uncomfortably pregnant. I didn’t forget about them all year, though, and I was so excited to try them this Christmas. Thankfully, they lived up to my high expectations. I would have been really disappointed if they hadn’t.

In these muffins, salty pistachios are combined with chunks of semi-sweet chocolate and sweet strawberry jam to create the perfect balance of flavors and textures. It’s such a pleasant surprise to bite into a muffin and get the melty chocolate, crunchy nuts, and gooey jam all in one bite.

(It fell apart, but you get the idea.)

The flavors work so well together, and to top it off, with the green pistachios and red strawberry jam, these are quite a festive treat! They’ll be a yearly baking staple for me from now on. Yum!

Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Muffins
adapted from Pillsbury Christmas 2007

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks, divided
1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped and divided
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup strawberry jam

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Set aside 1/3 cup chocolate and 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios and add the remaining into the dry ingredients.

3. In a small bowl combine milk, butter, lemon peel, vanilla, and egg; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

4. Fill each paper-lined muffin cup with 1 heaping tablespoon of batter. Spoon half a teaspoon of jam into each cup. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of batter on top of the jam. Top with reserved chocolate and pistachios.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes; remove from pan.

Coffee Chocolate Chunk Muffins

I’m not a big coffee drinker in the mornings. I usually have a cup shortly after I get to work, but I mix it with hot chocolate, so I think that disqualifies me as a serious coffee drinker. However, I really love the flavor of coffee, especially in baked goods. On one of the rare weekend mornings when I actually made a pot of coffee at home (it had been a long night with the boys), I remembered these muffins, and I thought they would be the perfect way to use up some of the leftover coffee.

In addition to using liquid coffee in the muffins, I also unearthed a couple of Hershey’s bars left over from our summer s’mores, so I chopped those up and added them to the batter instead of using pre-packaged chocolate chunks. I was truly unprepared for how much I loved these muffins. They had a great coffee flavor that paired so perfectly with the milk chocolate chunks. They were moist and delicious and sweet and slightly bitter and just amazing. If you’re a coffee lover, these muffins are a must-try!

Coffee Chocolate Chunk Muffins
adapted from Sherry Starts Cooking

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooled brewed coffee
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
1 cup milk chocolate chunks
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 12 muffin tins.

2. Mix together milk and coffee, and gently whisk in eggs and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the coffee mixture and melted butter to the flour mixture and stir gently just to combine. Fold in chocolate chunks and chips.

3. Fill prepared muffin tins and bake in preheated oven for 20 to 22 minutes.

Pumpkin Doughnut Mini Muffins

I got a late start on my pumpkin baking this year. In fact, I wasn’t sure if I’d really be baking with pumpkin much at all this fall. I’ve seen tons of delicious-sounding pumpkin recipes on my favorite food blogs, but none of them really struck me as “must-bake-immediately.” That is, until Cara shared this recipe on her site. I don’t think I’ve ever clicked that little star in Google Reader faster.

These cute little mini muffins are amazing. Amazing! As the name would indicate, they have the texture of a cake doughnut. The muffins themselves aren’t super sweet; the sweetness is reserved for a coating of melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. The muffins are rolled in this mixture while they’re still warm, so the butter soaks into the muffins, giving them a rich, moist texture. The cinnamon-sugar coating stays really crunchy, which is the perfect contrast to the soft muffin.

I did make a couple of changes, which I’ve indicated below. These were originally regular-sized muffins, but I love making mini muffins because they’re easier for Andrew to eat -- and in this instance, they’re super cute because they look like little doughnut holes. I also subbed pumpkin pie spice for the nutmeg and allspice called for in the original recipe.

These will be a fall baking staple for me from now on. We all loved them!

Pumpkin Doughnut Mini Muffins
adapted from The Picky Apple, who got the recipe from Everyday Food, November 2010

For the pumpkin batter:

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
2 large eggs

For the sugar coating:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions pumpkin mixture and beat to combine.

2. Spoon batter into each mini muffin cup and bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let muffins cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Working with one at a time, remove muffins from pan, roll in butter, then toss to coat in sugar mixture. Let muffins cool completely on a wire rack.

Apple Week: Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Muffins

As I mentioned yesterday, I thought it would be fun to do a whole week of apple recipes this week. I know most food bloggers’ minds automatically click to “pumpkin” when October arrives, but indulge me for a week, all right? And get ready for some delicious apple-y treats!

I bookmarked this muffin recipe last fall, but I never got around to making it. Needless to say, I never forgot about these muffins, and they were the first thing I wanted to try this year. And I’m so glad I finally made them, because these muffins are so good. Based on some of the Allrecipes reviewers’ comments, I amended the recipe a bit, and the result was a moist, flavorful, sweet and tangy and spicy muffin. They made a great on-the-go breakfast, and we all really liked them. I’ve since seen a similar muffin recipe I’d like to try (I really love the streusel topping on them), so if I try them I’ll let you know what I think.

Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Muffins
adapted from Allrecipes

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
1 cup peeled, diced tart apples

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy, then add eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon or apple pie spice; stir into cream cheese mixture just until moistened. Fold in apples.

2. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Fruit and Yogurt Muffins

These muffins have been the hit of the summer around our house. I made them the first time in mini form for one of Andrew’s snack days at daycare. When I picked him up that afternoon, there were two left...and the second we got in the car, he opened the container, grabbed a muffin in each hand, and proceeded to stuff both of them in his mouth.

So, yeah. He really loves these muffins. I’m lucky if I make it through an entire weekend without him asking me to make a batch. Which I usually always do, because I’m crazy about them too.

This is definitely one of the best muffin recipes I’ve ever tried. The yogurt makes them incredibly rich and moist, and adds a ton of flavor too. The thing I love most about this recipe, though, is that it’s so incredibly versatile. You can use any combination of fruit and yogurt that appeals to you. So far we’ve tried blueberries with blueberry yogurt, blueberries with vanilla yogurt, raspberries with peach yogurt, and strawberries with strawberry banana yogurt (pictured above). Andrew’s favorite is definitely the peach-raspberry version, and mine is the all-blueberry version. Next time I’m going to use lemon yogurt and pair it with blueberries, raspberries, or cranberries; I think the lemon flavor would add a really delicious tang to these. Apple yogurt really has its possibilities, too, especially with apple season coming up. You could even use a mixed berry yogurt, and add any combination of fresh or frozen berries you like. And you could probably use those fancy flavors, too -- Boston cream pie, key lime pie, etc. See? The possibilities really are endless!

The first time I made these muffins, I was surprised by how thick the batter was and how hard I had to work to get everything incorporated. But the muffins turned out fine. If you’re worried about the batter’s thickness, though, you could always add a couple of tablespoons of milk to thin it out a bit. I usually get 15 to 18 regular-sized muffins out of this recipe.

These are soooo yummy. Seriously. Try them!

Fruit and Yogurt Muffins
source: Allrecipes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 8-ounce container yogurt, any flavor
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen fruit

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

2. Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, egg, vanilla, butter and fruit. Stir mixtures together just until combined (batter will be very thick). Scoop into prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Zucchini Week: Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Since it’s the last full week of August, and the temperatures are finally becoming much more bearable (thank goodness!), I thought I’d do some summer blog-cleaning and share a week of zucchini recipes to help you use up the last of your crop.

I mentioned before that I was blessed (cursed?) with four monstrous zucchini earlier this summer, so needless to say, I’ve been cooking with it a lot. Thankfully, zucchini freezes really well, so I still have two freezer bags full of the shredded stuff to get me through the winter whenever I need a fix.

I can definitely see myself pining for these muffins this winter. They are super delicious. I used my favorite banana muffin as the base for the recipe, and tweaked it from there to factor in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Andrew took these to daycare on his snack day, and from what I hear they were a huge hit with the kids. I’ll take any opportunity I can to sneak green veggies into the little ones!

Along that vein, come back tomorrow for day two of Zucchini Week, when I’ll be sharing the recipe for baked zucchini macaroni and cheese. The kids will never know it’s in there. I’m such a sneak.

Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 overripe bananas

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

3. Cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs.

4. Puree bananas, sour cream and vanilla.

5. Alternately add dry ingredients in 3 additions and banana mixture in 2 additions to the egg mixture. Beat enough to incorporate. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.

6. Spoon into greased or lined muffin tins and bake for about 25 minutes, or until puffed, browned and springy. Makes about 15 muffins.

Guest Post : Amanda's Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Today's post is from Amanda over at Fake Ginger. I'm pretty new to her blog, but as soon as she e-mailed me last weekend, I spent about an hour going through her archives. She makes really beautiful, drool-worthy food, and I'm so honored that she offered to guest post for me! I will be making these muffins myself, and soon. Thanks again, Amanda!

I am so excited and honored to be doing a guest post here at Cassie Craves. I hope you brought your appetites because I've got some delicious cinnamon roll muffins to share today.

If you are familiar with my blog, Fake Ginger, you probably know that I love sweet breakfast rolls. I’ve made cinnamon rolls a billion times and thought it was about time to make them into muffins. These guys aren’t yeasted like the traditional cinnamon roll but they pack just as much flavor and decadence and would be perfect on any breakfast or brunch table.

I will admit that these are a bit more trouble than cinnamon rolls. You have to make sure you add enough flour so your dough won’t stick when you try to roll, but if you add too much you’ll end up with muffins that are way too dense. As long as you can manage that though, they are a good way to have the cinnamon roll taste without a long rise time of the traditional rolls.


Rolled Cinnamon Roll Muffins
from A Dash of Sass

Makes 1 dozen muffins

1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar added to it (or 1 cup buttermilk)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

Filling:
2 TBL butter, room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk or cream

Directions:

- Pour milk into a measuring cup and add the lemon juice or vinegar. (Skip this step if you are using buttermilk.)
- Measure the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla and egg into a mixing bowl. Add the milk. Add the flour. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two.
- Roll the dough into a 12-inch by 24-inch rectangle. Spread with butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll the dough into a log beginning at the wide side. Stretch the log slightly. Cut into two-inch pieces and put the pieces into greased muffin tins or muffin tins lined with cupcake papers.
- Bake at 375° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes and then remove from the muffin tins.
- Drizzle with icing (if using) when cool.

Banana Berry Muffins

Let it be known: I love these muffins. I love them so much that I sort of think I should make a batch of them every single weekend, so that I can have one for breakfast on my way to work every day, and then another one for an evening snack each night. All I was really looking for was a way to use up the bag of frozen blackberries I’d had in my freezer for about a year. I had no idea how much I’d like the muffins that resulted.

You can use any berries you like for these. I made a second batch a few days later (yes; the first batch only lasted a couple of days, I KNOW) using strawberries, which were just as delicious. Raspberries and blueberries, or a combination of a few types of berries, would also be great. This recipe makes an incredibly moist muffin, and when eaten warm with a bit of butter melted over the top? Well, that’s pretty much my definition of paradise.


Banana Berry Muffins
source: adapted from iChef

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint fresh berries (or 1 12-ounce bag frozen berries)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs.

4. Puree bananas, sour cream and vanilla.

5. Alternately add dry ingredients in 3 additions and banana mixture in 2 additions to the egg mixture. Beat enough to incorporate. Fold in berries.

6. Spoon into greased or lined muffin tins and bake for about 25 minutes, or until puffed, browned and springy. Makes about 15 muffins.

Healthy Morning Muffins

For the past week or so, I have felt anything but productive. Time for a newsflash -- are you ready for this? It turns out, newborns require a lot of attention. I'd totally forgotten! Thank goodness I have a fully stocked freezer to utilize during these first crazy weeks!

Today my husband had the day off from work, so I actually got some things accomplished. I cleaned our bedroom, organized Andrew's closet, and baked some brownies (from a mix, but still, it took a little bit of effort). I also made these delicious muffins, which I'm sending to daycare with Andrew tomorrow. It's his day to take a snack, and I thought these muffins would be a yummy, healthy choice for him and his classmates.

Of course I had to sneak one just to make sure they tasted okay, and they absolutely did. They're low in fat, which is awesome, but they're also incredibly moist and flavorful. There's no butter here, but I promise you won't miss it one bit. I loved the combination of banana and carrot, and I actually think this recipe would make a great quick bread.

I adapted the recipe to make mini-muffins. I also added some cinnamon -- which I think these really needed; the flavor may have been slightly lacking without it -- and used vegetable oil instead of extra-virgin olive oil (since olive oil has a distinctive taste, I was concerned that I wouldn't like the flavor of it in a muffin). This recipe isn't available online that I can see, so I've listed the original as it appears in the magazine, with my changes in purple. I think I may actually make these every weekend so we have a healthy breakfast choice throughout the week.

Healthy Morning Muffins
source: Everyday Food, January/February 2010

Non-stick cooking spray
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 large egg
1/3 cup skim milk (I used whole milk since it's what we always have on hand for Andrew)
4 medium carrots, shredded (I used 3, which was plenty)
1 medium ripe banana, mashed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan (or a 24-cup mini-muffin pan) with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt until there are no lumps. Stir in oats and raisins. Add oil, eggs, milk, carrots and banana and stir until blended.

2. Fill each muffin cup with batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean (23 to 25 minutes for regular muffins, 15 minutes for mini-muffins). Serve muffins warm or at room temperature. To store, keep in an airtight container up to three days.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Vanilla Bean Muffins

Having had one child already, I know exactly what those first few weeks post-partum are going to be like, and folks -- they ain't gonna be pretty. And if I get the chance to eat anything at all, I know I'm not going to want to eat things that are healthy. I'm going to want things that are comforting, things that make me forget how exhausted and sore and overwhelmed I am. That's why most of the meals I've frozen for us to eat during that time contain pasta and/or lots of cheese.

That's also why I made these muffins. I'm hoping they froze well, because I'm really looking forward to having these for breakfast the first week we're home from the hospital. They'll taste awesome with the gallons of coffee I'll be consuming.

A couple of the muffins didn't make it all the way to the freezer -- I had to taste test, of course! These muffins are absolutely delicious. I realized I'd run out of vanilla extract right before I started making them, but rather than giving up, I used an inch of vanilla bean instead, and that worked perfectly. Cream cheese and chocolate chips -- what's not to love?

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Vanilla Bean Muffins
source: adapted from Allrecipes

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup cream
1 inch vanilla bean (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or use paper liners.

2. Beat cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Beat in egg, cream and vanilla bean. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into cream cheese mixture until flour is moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full.

3. Bake in preheated oven until tops are golden, about 20 minutes.

Mandarin Orange Muffins

If you asked my son Andrew what his very favorite food in the world is, I know exactly what he'd tell you: mandarin oranges. Well, okay, he'd probably say "na nas" because that's what he calls them, but you know what I mean. He loves mandarin oranges, which really comes as no surprise to me since I loved them as a kid too. I remember being a little girl, sitting at the kitchen table and eating them with my fingers right out of the can. And then slurping all of the delicious syrup off of my fingers. It's so fun to watch my little boy do exactly the same thing (except we are more civilized than my parents were, apparently, and put his oranges in a bowl first).

When I happened across this recipe, I knew I had to make these for Andrew. Unsurprisingly, these muffins were a huge hit with him. I really liked them, too, especially the combination of cinnamon and citrus. When I make these again (and oh, I will; Andrew insists) I'll use less almond extract, because I thought the almond was just a little bit too overpowering. These muffins were incredibly moist and not too sweet, and they were absolutely delicious with a bit of butter spread across the top. Definitely Andrew -- and Mama! -- approved.

Mandarin Orange Muffins
source: slightly adapted from Allrecipes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained and diced

1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk and extract. Stir into crumb mixture just until moistened. Fold in oranges.

2. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

3. Combine 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over muffins.

Maple-Drizzled Apple Muffins

Here's the funny thing about pregnancy: It makes you crave things that you may not have even liked before you got pregnant. Let me give you a couple of examples. All my life I've hated marshmallows, but last Friday I ate my weight in s'mores, and I currently can't get the thought of these treats out of my head (I actually think I may make them tonight). The other example, which is applicable to today's post, is maple syrup. I've never been a big fan of syrup itself or of maple-flavored things (maple sausage excluded; I have always liked that), but now? I can't get enough of it. So when I saw these muffins, they immediately attracted my attention.

These muffins are soooo delicious. Studded with chopped apples and drizzled with a maple glaze, they absolutely scream "fall" to me. The maple flavor is subtle and sweet, not overpowering at all. This is the kind of muffin that warms you up from the inside out. One Allrecipes reviewer said she added dried cranberries to the muffin mixture, which I'm definitely going to try next time. I think that would make these even better!

Maple-Drizzled Apple Muffins
source: Allrecipes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups chopped, peeled apples
12 pecan halves
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. In a small bowl, mix milk, butter, syrup and egg; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apples.

2. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Top each with a pecan half. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely.

3. For glaze, mix confectiones' sugar and syrup; drizzle over muffins.