Good Tastin' and Good Lookin'

I'm pulling one from the archives with this recipe. Ask me why I haven't shared these muffins with y'all yet and I couldn't tell you, let alone could I explain why I haven't baked them since that first time way back when. Perhaps it's my curiousity and endless search for something better that's kept them from being a repeat. I love a good blueberry muffin. The sweetness mixed with the slight tartness of the blueberries. Paired with a cup of coffee you've got the perfect breakfast, but accompanied by a glass of milk you've also got a great afternoon snack. I haven't eaten these blueberry muffins in a long while, but I don't know off hand of anyway they could be improved upon, unless you add a sprinkling of struesel on top, but that would take away from the picture perfectness of these "Really Good Blueberry Muffins". Maybe it's the baker in me paired with the blogger in me, but I find eminent satisfaction in those times when I bake something that is not only delicious but also makes you say, "Wow, that looks good!" And, I think this is one of those recipes. Unfortunately, I have no idea the original source. But, I'm thinking I may have possibly gotten the recipe from The Ultimate Muffin Book, I can't swear to it though. Regardless, if you like blueberry muffins, give these a try. Really Good Blueberry Muffins 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 c. granulated sugar 1/2 c. packed brown sugar 3/4 c. milk 1 egg 1 3/4 c. flour 1 tsp cinnamon 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 c. blueberries 2 Tbsp flour Sift together (1 3/4 cup) flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt, set aside. Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg and milk until smooth. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix just until moist. Lightly toss blueberries with 2 Tbsp flour, and gently fold into batter. Fill well-greased or paper lined muffin tins nearly full. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

MmMMmmMm Muffins!

What do you do when life gives you almost rotten bananas?? You make banana muffins! Yeah, I've been known to buy produce on more than one occassion, only to have it spoil before I finally decide on a use for it. Generally, I buy bananas in two's so that this doesn't happen, but last week I assured myself that a third banana would not go to waste - afterall I was craving them. Two bananas eaten, one left to rot, I found myself making Donna Hay's Banana and Cinnamon Muffins. The recipe is easy, relatively healthy and yummy! I used fat free sour cream, and a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. I also sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top of the batter before baking for a delicious touch! Banana Cinnamon Muffins 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 brown sugar, packed 1 cup fat free sour cream 2 eggs 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 banana, mushed Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon together, then stir in sugars until combined. Place sour cream, eggs, and oil in seperate bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir the sour cream mixture through the flour mixture until just combined. Gently stir in mashed banana, careful not to overmix. Spray 12 medium muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray, fill 2/3 way full. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until tooth pick comes out clean. Optional: Sprinkle muffin tops with a bit of cinnamon sugar before baking.

Cranberries in summer...

I would try a new recipe everyday if I could. Unfortunately that would be very time-consuming, most of all just terribly wasteful. And to be honest, I'm afraid I would become horribly overweight. We keep enough baked goodies in the house now, that if there were new things each day I would just become one chunkie little ball of - well, fat. And we can't have that now can we? So until my home-based bakery is off the ground & I'm testing out new recipes daily for a profit, I must pick and choose my test recipes carefully. That leads me to the whole "Cranberries in summer.." title. The brownie recipe I tried out on Tuesday was decent, but a tad disappointing, so I think sub-consciously I felt the need to redeem myself. Well redeem myself I did!! Yesterday was a deliciously fabulous day. I am absolutely in love with orange cranberry muffins. Ever since working at Starbucks some years back as a Barista, where I would nosh on the orange cranberry muffins as I sipped my morning coffee and delighted in the caffeine addicts who I saw religiously I have been in love. Our romance was never quite an out in the open type thing, until now. Yes now that I have baked a batch myself & feel that I have found the recipe that was intended just for me, I will scream it from the highest mountain. Okay, maybe it's not quite that serious, afterall they contain no chocolate. But they are pretty delicious..and I feel good about eating them, they aren't laden with stick upon stick of butter and tons of oil. They have just enough of everything to make them a delicious treat, but not enough to make them a shameful endulgence. Perhaps I am being a bit dramatic?? What do you expect - need I remind you that I am admittedly Culinarily Obsessed?? Thanks to the Food Network for such delicious inspiration..what would I do without their recipes? Cranberry Orange Muffins 1 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for preparing the muffin tin 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus up to 1 tablespoon for topping the muffins, if desired 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1/2 cup milk Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Remove berries from the heat, and set aside to cool and plump. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside. Lightly brush a 12-muffin tin with butter. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, orange zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in the cranberries. Do not over mix. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack. Serve warm.