Morning Glory Muffins

Many of my most loved recipes come from my mom. When we were kids she cooked for us all the time (she still does!) and we've come to love a lot of the dishes. We also love to recall some of the kitchen mishaps as I'm sure my family will one day do with my little blunders (I can't wait!). We never fail to laugh about the time she put cinnamon in tacos or how my older brother karate chopped her pumpkin roll as it rested on the counter.

These particular muffins made numerous appearances throughout our childhood, though none quite so amusing as a cinnamon taco. They're chock full of flavor with carrots, coconut, cinnamon and more. Plus, they stay moist for days.

On the day I made them, "Morning Glory" seemed the perfect name too. Up with Claire at 5, I saw the sun come up on what turned out to be a perfect September day. A few puffy white clouds speckled the sky, but the sun was bright and a cool breeze was blowing. Perfect weather for a warm muffin and a hot cappuccino on the deck.

Morning Glory Muffins
2 c. flour
¾ c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
2 c. finely shredded carrot
1 c. finely chopped apple
½ c. currants or raisins
½ c. chopped walnuts
½ c. shredded coconut
3 eggs
¾ c. cooking oil
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly grease 18 2 ½-inch muffin cups, or line them with paper bake cups.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With a wooden spoon, stir in carrot, apple, currants, coconut, and walnuts.

In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs, cooking oil and vanilla. Add mixture all at once to flour mixture and stir only until moistened.

Gently spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups until each one is almost full.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top of a muffin springs back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and cool on the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make 18 muffins.

Is it a muffin or is it a doughnut?

Now that I've adjusted (more or less) to rising in the wee hours when our wee one is hungry, I find that the early morning is a fabulous time to cook. My husband also seems pretty happy about it. Last weekend, Saturday morning found me up at 5:30. With the sun just rising and cool temperatures, it seemed like the perfect time to make muffins.

Often on Saturdays, we visit the local bakery in Scotch Plains: the Suisse Pastry Shop. They have the BEST old-fashioned glazed donuts and really good apple fritters, among countless other tasty delights. These muffins taste a bit like those donuts and they're super easy to make. I'm also hoping they're a bit healthier! Another benefit: they make your house smell almost as good as the pastry shop.



Donut muffins
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Muffins

7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 9 muffin cups with foil liners, or grease 9 of the cups.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat until pale and smooth.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add half to the butter mixture, then add the buttermilk, combining well after each addition. Add the remaining flour mixture and stir until just evenly moistened - the batter will be lumpy.

Spoon into the muffin cups and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and continue cooling until cool enough to handle.

To finish, stir together the cinnamon and sugar in a dish and melt the butter in a separate dish. Dip each muffin top in the butter then press it in the sugar.

Makes 9 muffins.

Chunky Banana Bran Muffins

I hate wasting things so when I have leftover bananas that are overripe, they have to find their way into some sort of baked good. These chunky muffins are perfect: they use up any leftover bananas I have around the house and they're loaded with bran, nuts, raisins and all sorts of good stuff. The banana keeps them moist for a few days so they're great for breakfast on the go.

What's your favorite recipe to use up extra fruit you have around? Leave a comment and let me know!

Chunky Banana Bran Muffins

1 ½ c. bran flakes
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
½ c. milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 c. all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
¼ c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
½ c. raisins (optional)
1/3 c. chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Grease or line 12 muffin cups.



Combine cereal, banana, milk, egg and oil in a bowl and mix well. Let stand 5 minutes; stir to break up cereal. Add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir until just mixed. Stir in nuts and raisins.

Divide evenly among prepared baking cups. Bake 20 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 12.

Farmer's market find: Blackberries

Juicy, plump blackberries! Who could resist them on a sunny summer morning at the local farmers' market? Not me! I happily paid the farmer and poured them into a bag, carefully carrying them as I rode my bike home. I rinsed them, nibbled a few, then started making muffins!

The muffin batter is pretty standard with buttermilk, flour and all the rest. A little lemon zest brightens the flavor and a crunchy pecan-sugar coating makes these babies irresistible. And they're simply chock full of fruit. So they're healthy, right?



Blackberry muffins



For the topping:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• Grated zest of half a lemon
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

For the muffins:

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups blackberries

Preheat oven to 375F. Line 12 muffin cups with liners or butter them.

To make the topping, mix together the sugar, flour and lemon zest. Add the butter and mix until combined. Mix in the pecans and set aside.

To make the muffins, combine the dry ingredients, including the zest. Add the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the blackberries, trying not to break them. Don't overmix.

Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the topping over them.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

NOTE: you could very easily substitute other berries in these. Blueberries would be excellent with the lemon zest as would raspberries. Or try a mix of berries!

Leftover Banana Makeover

Two quickly ripening leftover bananas led me to look for something new to make. I typically make Banana Bran muffins but was in the mood for a change. I found this recipe on Epicurious... Moist and very easy to make!

Banana coconut muffins

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 45 min
Makes 8-10.
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (3/4 cup)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Chopped walnuts (optional)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin cups with liners.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened. Stir in walnuts.
Divide batter among lined muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and cool slightly.