Orange Poppy Seed Bread

Do you understand the idea that the radio can kill a song?  It's played over, and over, and . . . Then without notice the song disappears, rarely to be heard on the radio again.  And one day, you walk into a coffee shop and the song is playing.  I forgot all about this song!

Sometimes I feel that way about recipes.  Everyone makes spinach dip or buffalo wings when there's a get together.  I love those things but after a while you want something different.  And sometimes you forget about those recipes.

For me this happened with lemon poppy seed muffins.  They were always a sure thing for breakfast or snack and just became mundane.  This week I was looking for a lemon recipe and happened upon one for a poppy seed bread with orange glaze.  Well, that was a bit of a change.  Enough to capture my interest.

The recipe needed some sprucing up.  I swapped the oil for melted butter; this trick works great for baked recipes.  Butter is so much more flavorful and natural {I know, oil is naturally occurring.  It just seems so unnatural to use a whole cup in something you'll eat} and gives a beautiful golden color to baked goods.  The batter is enough for two loaves or a loaf and some muffins.  Or a loaf and some small cakes, mini bundt cakes precisely.

The third change was a must for the orange flavor.  The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of orange juice in the glaze.  The orange flavor in the finished bread was indiscernible.  But the bread was luscious.  With the second go-round I took zest from two oranges and stirred it into the sugar.  The sugar will absorb the oils from the orange zest, which is where much of the flavor is, at least concentrated flavor.  Put the orange zest and sugar together in a jar; stir and shake.  Let sit for at least ten minutes.  I've started doing this and leaving it over night.  It makes a huge difference in the flavor of the bread.

I feel like I have rediscovered a lost song, one that is bright and cheery and makes my toes tap.  Only, it's a recipe.  And my taste buds are singing it's sweet and happy tune.

Orange Poppy Seed Bread
1 c white sugar
zest from two medium oranges
1 c brown sugar
1 c {2 sticks} butter
3 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 c milk, room temperature
1/4 c poppy seeds

Stir zest and white sugar together.  Allow to set for at least ten minutes.  Melt butter; let cool.
Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease pans {2 loaf pans or 12 large muffin/cakelette pans}.

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Add orange~sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, eggs and milk.  With mixer, blend on medium speed for two minutes.  Stir in poppy seeds.  Divide batter evenly between pans.  Do not fill muffin/cakelette cups more than 3/4 full to avoid spilling.  Bake loaf 45-55 minutes, until golden and inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Bake muffins/cakelettes 25-30 minutes.

While loaves are baking, make glaze.  Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Whisk together.  When loaves are removed from oven, pour glaze over loaves while in pan.  Let cool completely, in the pan.  For muffins, let cool for 10 minutes in pans.  Remove and drizzle glaze over top of muffins.

If using large muffin tins or min cake pans, don't over fill.  Use about 3/4 cup of batter so that the batter doesn't spill over while baking.  The muffins can be glazed after they are removed from the pan.  The loaf should be glazed in the pan and allow to cool completely before removing.

Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

With only a couple of weeks left before the children head back to school, I begin to get my thoughts about meals and snacks a bit more organized. I try to have some grab and go things on hand for those days I am just not as prepared as I thought I was or would like to be.

One of my go to recipes last school year was for bakery style chocolate chip muffins. This turned out to be a tried and true recipe after an small adjustment to baking time for my finicky oven. Today my five year old not only inspired another change, he also helped me make these~ Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins.

Taste testing~ "Does it taste good yet?  Yes, it does!"

He kept me entertained the entire time we were making these. He started by telling me we needed to "beat up the eggs". As we were mixing the ingredients, he would continually ask if the mix tasted good yet. "Oh, I can't wait till it tastes good and I can take a lick!" When they were all done, he told me to wait until they were cooled off before I took the little guys out.

When little helpers top off the muffins with mini chocolate chips, proportionality doesn't count.

You'll notice that some of our muffins are disproportional; some have more chocolate chips than others. My son said we messed up and had to start over. I think he just wanted an excuse to eat the whole batch.

These will probably be a weekly item in our house now, terrific for breakfasts with a boiled egg or yogurt and excellent as a snack with a piece of cheese {probably Baby Belle for my little munchers}. And they make a great first day of school treat for a new teacher!

Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
original recipe from The Purple Spoon
1 1/2 c flour
3/4 c white sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c sour cream
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c chocolate chips
2 tbsp raw sugar

Preheat oven to 375F. Line 24 mini muffin tins with paper liners.

Combine flour, white sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk and set aside. Combine sour cream, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract. Blend til smooth. Fold sour cream mixture into flour mixture, just to combine. Place a half spoonful of batter into each paper liner. Top with a few mini chocolate chips. Add another half spoonful of batter over the mini chocolate chips. Top off with another round of mini chocolate chips and a sprinkle of raw sugar {for a sweet crunch}.

Bake for 10-13 minutes, until golden on top. Cool before removing from pan. Makes 24 mini muffins.

Notes about recipe~
*I tend to overfill my muffin liners a bit so they are nice and rounded on top. This recipe may actually make closer to 28-30 mini cupcakes if you don't fill yours as full.
*You could mix the mini chocolate chips into the batter. Just toss the chips with a bit of flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom. I like the layered technique though.
*The original recipe calls for cinnamon and sugar on top. I think the sugar in the raw adds a nice crunch {I do this with many of my muffins}. Sugar in the raw could be replaced with sugar crystals if needed.
*If you don't have sour cream, use buttermilk or soured milk {milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice added}.

Here's my littlest helper, Dianna.  She's almost five months old now and doing well.  As you can see, she's a happy little helper.

Cranberry Brown Sugar Muffins

What a nice treat to wake up to on a crisp fall morning, Cranberry Brown Sugar Muffins. Sweetened with dried cranberries and brown sugar. Topped with raw sugar for a slight crunch to compliment the fluffy inside. They don't take long to put together and bake so not much effort needs to go into preparing them for breakfast.



Cranberry Brown Sugar Muffins
based on a recipe from allrecipes.com
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 c sour cream
2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 c dried cranberries
raw sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 375F.
Cream butter in sugar. While butter and sugar are creaming, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside. Add eggs and vanilla to creamed butter and sugar; blend well, scraping sides of bowl. Fold in sour cream. Fold in flour mixture. Fold in cranberries. Use an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measure to fill 14-16 paper lined muffin tins. Sprinkle tops of unbaked muffins with raw sugar and bake for 18-20 minutes.





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Pumpkin Muffins

Autumn is my absolute favorite season.  Cool winds, vibrant colors, sounds of crisp leaves scuttering across the streets and down walkways.  I even have favorite books that I save to read this time of year, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Rebecca, and Washington Irving's Short Stories {including The Legend of Sleepy Hollow}.  But the most favored treat this time of year at our house is based on the quintessential symbol of fall~ pumpkins!

Our absolutely favorite recipe for using pumpkins is a muffin recipe. I found this at Martha Stewart's site. So it's a recipe for pumpkin cupcakes. What's the difference?  I say it is the icing. We enjoy these without the icing, therefore they are muffins.  Muffins. . . cupcakes. . . they are delicious whatever you call them.

Another reason this is a favorite recipe is the ease of memorizing it. I changed the ingredients and amounts a bit to round numbers, basking 1 teaspoon of all spices and powders and 1 cup of sugar (just remember double the flour).  Pretty easy.  Easy as pie, but we're talking pumpkin muffins.

My children look forward to these for breakfast on school days.  They usually will take a few extra as a lunch time treat or after school snack, too.

Pumpkin Muffins
adapted from Martha Stewart.com
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c butter (two sticks), melted and cooled
4 eggs
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree


Preheat oven to 350F and line 24 standard size muffin cups or spray with cooking oil.

Combine flour, soda, powder and spices using a wire whisk in a medium bowl; set aside.  Place sugars and butter in a large bowl. Mix well. Add eggs and whisk to combine. Whisk in pumpkin.  Add flour mixture to pumpkin mix; stir well, scraping sides and bottom to incorporate all ingredients.

Using an ice cream scoop, place one heaping scoop of batter into each muffin cup.  Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.  If baked without liners, cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing.  Makes 24 standard muffins.

Morning Glory Muffins

Just the name of these make me want to wake up and eat one. Muffins are terrific little bundles of goodness and comfort. And these are no exception.


Almost a carrot cake but not quite, Morning Glory Muffins are packed full of energizing taste bits~ carrots, apples, coconut, the list goes on.

Just look at the batter~ loaded with freshly grated carrots and apples, dried cranberries and almonds. So good, to eat and for you!

I made 24 of these little things and they were nearly gone the first day. It didn't hurt that I found some leftover butter cream frosting to make them more of a cupcake for breakfast. I enjoyed mine without the added sugar though, thank you very much. And they were great.

Actually, I cut back on the sugar in the original recipe, as I do with many recipes I find. I also substituted craisins for the raisins since I despise the latter {sorry to all of those who like dehydrated grapes, just not for me}. Another thing I just don't like in muffins or cakes, walnuts or pecans. So for this little package of sweetness I used slivered almonds; yummy!

After allowing these to cool, I wrapped them in waxed paper liners then placed them in a freezer bag and stored them in the freezer.

Just pop a muffin in the microwave for 20 seconds and your breakfast is ready.

Served with some cheese or a glass of milk for protein, they make a complete and nutritious start to the day.

Thoughts from the peanut gallery on this breakfast. . .
* I found some more muffins!
* Could you pass me another one please?
* Great for a snack later in the day, too.
* Uh, there okay.

This last one was from one who doesn't usually like to eat breakfast. Take my word for it, they were glorious, morning glorious.


Morning Glory Muffins
from allrecipes.com with a few adjustments
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup Craisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 apple, peeled and cored and shredded
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in carrots and Crasins, almonds, coconut and apple.  In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Stir egg mixture into the carrot mixture, just until moist. Scoop batter into paper muffin liners {use an ice cream scoop for ease}.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.


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Southern Biscuit Muffins

Crunch . . crunch . . crunch . . . Oh, pardon me. I was just enjoying my breakfast. I couldn't wait to tell you about it because with just a fraction of the effort it takes to make biscuits, I made these instead with the same benefits.



Golden,



Crunchy,



Fluffy and . . .



Moist and buttery inside.



Normally I don't even make my dough for biscuits from scratch. I use Bisquick. I planned on making biscuits with eggs and sausage for a breakfast sandwich, but found I had no Bisquick.

I went to my favorite cookbook {Great American Favorite Brand Name Cookbook} and found a recipe for Southern Biscuit Muffins. Looking over the list of ingredients and directions, I discovered I had everything I needed and decided to make them.

Excuse me, I have to take another bite. . .



Now that I am all done,



I should just give you the recipe so you can make some for yourself and family or friends.

Southern Style Biscuit Muffins
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 c cold unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup cold milk*

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease standard size muffin pan. Place flour, sugar and baking powder in bowl; mix to combine. Add butter and use paddle attachment {or two knives} to cut butter into flour. Butter should be about pea size. While still mixing, add milk.

Spoon dough into muffin cup. Fill all 12 cups in pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool in pan. Run knife around edge before removing muffins. Enjoy with butter and jam or sausage gravy.

If the dough seems to thin with this much milk, just add a couple of tablespoons of flour and stir.  Do again, until dough is about the consistency of muffin dough {thicker than cake batter}.