All-in-One Breakfast Muffins

These muffins are really taking my breakfast routine by storm. First of all, they are so easy to prepare ahead and freeze. When its time for breakfast, pop it in the microwave for a bit and you've got a fresh from the oven tasting muffin.

On top of all that, these muffins take the stars from all your favorite breakfast classics and roll them into one quick bite. You've got your eggs, some oatmeal, bananas and throw in some chocolate chips for good measure. I mean, who wouldn't want to start the day with some chocolate.

To make a dozen muffins, you are going to need

3 medium bananas, extra ripe
1 cup milk (I've used both regular and almond milk and they both taste great)
2 large eggs
1 tbsp baking powder
3 1/2 cups oats (see note below)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat up your oven to 375F degrees and prepare a muffin tin by lining each cup with a muffin liner.

Now we can 'prepare' the oats. To do so, I use old fashioned oats and pulse them in a food processor until about half are shredded. Make sure to leave some of the oats whole as they add a nice texture to the muffin.

Ready for the really easy part? Put all of your ingredients in one bowl (EXCEPT the chocolate chips) and mix together using a hand mixer or your stand mixer. Yup, toss them all in there for one big party.

Toss in your chocolate chips and mix in with a spoon.

Scoop the mixture into your muffin liners so they are just filled, right to the top. These muffins do not have a big rise, so don't be afraid to fill them right to the top. Sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top for good measure. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool completely before you freeze, or enjoy them right away.

Extra Large, Super Moist Corn Muffins

As promised, here is a great new recipe for those corn muffins that snuck into some photos last week. These muffins rise to high heights but still stay moist with the addition of yogurt. Plus there is a dash of cinnamon in there that adds the perfect taste to cut the heat in a bowl of spicy chili.

Ingredients (6 super large muffins)

1 cup corn kernels

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 granulated sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup low fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup low fat milk

1/4 canola oil

2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and grease your muffin pan. Whisk together the flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Toss in the corn kernels.

Whisk yogurt, milk, oil and eggs.  

Pour the mixture of wet ingredients into the dry ones and give it a good mix, but be sure not to over mix. 

Spoon into the prepared muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full.

Cook until lightly brown and until a toothpick comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. 

These will keep fresh in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 days. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Week Day 2: Pumpkin Donut Holes

It is Day 2 of Pumpkin Week and today we are making pumpkin flavored donuts. These donut holes are small, so feel free to eat a couple without feeling any guilt! Besides, pumpkin is a vegetable, so they must be good for you!

Recipe yields 12 donuts

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Sugar coating:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk butter with a hand mixer until light and smooth.

Add almond extract and beat for 30 seconds. Add vanilla extract, eggs, honey and pumpkin. Beat until well incorporated.

To the bowl, add salt, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice. Continue to mix well so everything is combined.

Pour the batter into a greased donut pan, donut hole pan or mini muffin pan (why not be creative with it?) Being the rebel I am, I chose the mini muffin pan for fun.

Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. The donuts are done when a toothpick comes out of the center clean. (As you will notice, mine are a little messy, the key here is not to overfill!)

While the donuts are in the oven, combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix well. Once the donuts are cool to the touch, toss in the sugar mix to coat.

These are best served right away! If you can't finish them all at once, store in an airtight container for later. Be a good friend/neighbor/sister/etc and try to share (I know they are delicious, but it isn't nice to hoard.) Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Every Sunday morning I stop at the bakery and pick myself up a lemon poppy seed muffin for breakfast. It is my snack while I am preparing Sunday dinner. I have tried to make these muffins in the past, but nothing ever compares to the one from the bakery, so I surrender and just buy one each week. Well today, all that has changed. I have finally figured out how to get the light, moist interior I crave, with all the flavor I could ever ask for. After research and plenty of trial and error, I honestly believe I have the most perfect lemon poppy seed muffin recipe there is. Try it out and let me know if you agree!

Recipe yields 12 muffins

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp poppy seeds (make sure they are fresh or you will have a bitter flavor!)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon (zest and juice)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set a rack in the lower-middle area of the oven. In a large mixing bowl, mix together sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to squish the lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to the mixture. Whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, add melted butter, vanilla extract, lemon juice, eggs and sour cream. Whisk together until all ingredients are combined.

Now it is time for your dry ingredients to meet your wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry and use a spatula to combine. Go around the bowl 3-4 times to mix the ingredients together but do not over mix! It is alright if there are still lumps of batter.

Now add your poppy seeds and mix those into the batter.

Using a scoop or a spoon, evenly distribute the batter among the muffin tin. Be sure you use muffin liners or generously coat the muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes. You should be able to cleanly remove a toothpick from the center of the muffin when it is done.

Place tray on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from their tin and allow them to remain cooling on the wire rack until warm

These muffins are best served warm, so once they are cool enough to handle dig in and enjoy!

Banana Walnut Muffins

The other day my mom took the bananas and put them in the pantry while she was cleaning the kitchen. After getting lost behind the bread, they sat up there for a few days becoming nice and ripe. I figured what better way to put these mushy bananas to use than moist and delicious banana walnut muffins. These are going to be the perfect treat for my train ride tomorrow morning into work!

Recipe yields 10 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

2 large egg whites

1 large banana, very ripe

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with liners to hold the muffins and allow for easy removal.

Combine flour, sugar and baking soda in a small bowl with a fork to mix together well.

In a medium bowl, combine mashed banana, applesauce, vanilla extract and egg whites. 

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients until mixture is smooth and there are no dry spots. Add the walnuts and spread evenly into mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the liners, filing about 3/4 of the way.

Place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if they are ready. Toothpick should come out clean after entered into the middle of the muffin. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Keep muffins in a sealed ziploc bag for freshness. Serve & enjoy!