Once Upon a Plate: Muffins

Showing posts with label Muffins. Show all posts

Thursday

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins

Proclaimed delicious! Another great recipe from Donna Hay.
I have one issue with the recipe though ~ I think the name is misleading. I think of these as little cakes rather than muffins; very decadent, indeed. Too rich for breakfast or mid-morning snack (in my humble opinion.)
And without a doubt I would file this in the dessert category!
There is no butter involved, if that is important to you. The fat in the recipe come from sour cream and vegetable oil.
The recipe suggests using frozen raspberries, but I had fresh on hand, so naturally that's what I used. Probably the raspberries would have held their shape better with frozen, but I kind of like the smeary effect of the berries. :)

No matter, the combination of the tart berries and sweet white chocolate is sublime! The recipe makes 6 large "muffins" (cakes) ~ so it is ideal for smaller families.
If you would like a printable copy of the recipe click here.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit today!
Blessings, ~mari xo

Tuesday

Banana-Poppy Seed Muffins with Citrus Glaze and Tea Cozies!

I'm the first to admit that bananas aren't my favorite fruit.

I can handle eating them when they are still quite firm and prefer them when they still have a green-tinge to them. But once they become soft, and the peels become riddled with brown "sugar" spots (when they are at their sweetest) there is something about the texture which I don't care for. At that point they either go into smoothies, quick breads or muffins.

With three over-ripe bananas in the fruit basket, I whipped up these muffins. The recipe varies slightly from others I've tried in that they are finished with a lovely citrus glaze while still warm. By the time the muffins cool, the glaze firms up so they are not messy or sticky to the touch.

And what goes better with fresh muffins than milk, coffee, or my favorite ~ Tea!

As delicious as the muffins are ~ the tea cozy/cosy always steals the scene.

If you've used them, you already know they are as practical as can be; cozies really do help insulate the tea pot to keep the tea steaming hot.

I have a couple of different types (quilted fabric, etc.), but these crocheted ones are my most treasured.

I first saw one like this almost two years ago on a favored blog written by a British woman in the UK. All of her readers were going wild over hers, and she mentioned the boutique shop where she purchased them... unfortunately, at that time the shop was not dispatching to destinations outside of the country. *sigh*

It was time to do a little sleuth work ~ I knew they were crocheted by hand.

So the logical place to look? Etsy, of course !!
I love Etsy.

After I realized that the proper English way of spelling the name ("cosy", not 'cozy') it didn't take long to find a wonderful vendor by the name of Andrea Lesley. Her work is lovely, and so unique ~ I had a hunch that she must be the artist who makes these beautiful creations. I contacted her right away, and confirmed she is indeed the same artist. Happy Day!

That was well over a year ago ~ and I'm pleased to see that Andrea is still operating her shop, and her work is as delightful as ever.

I've included a link to her Etsy shop below if you are interested in placing an order.

If you do place an order, please let Andrea know that I sent you over!

Back to the muffins ~ I really liked this recipe, it contains a little finely grated orange peel in the batter, as well as in the confectioner's sugar glaze.

I reduced the all-purpose flour by half a cup and added 1/4 cup of wheat bran, and 1/4 cup of old fashioned rolled oats just to make them a little more healthy. (That doesn't exactly cancel out the sugar glaze though, does it?)

Among all the colors and designs Andrea offers, I could never decide upon a favorite ~ that's why I chose a few. ;)

Nothing cheers up a gray Pacific Northwest morning like a hot pot of tea snuggled in a very cheerful tea cosy/cozy!

I reserve the one below for Christmas time, but if you decorate with reds it would be perfect any time of year.

Here's the link I promised ~ and don't forget to tell Andrea you read about her here. :-)

Andrea Lesley Crochet Shop on Etsy.

Do YOU have a favorite Etsy shop?

Are you an Etsy VENDOR?

I would love if you would share, please mention in the comment section.

This is my entry for Tablescape Thursday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. (click to link)

For a printable copy of the recipe for the Banana Muffins, please click HERE to go the Once Upon a Plate Recipe site.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Saturday

Muffins~ Cinnamon Doughnut Muffins!! (And they have a surprise inside.)

Cinnamon Doughnut Muffins have been around for a long, long time.

But this version, adapted from "Taste of Home" is a little different . . .

. . . a fruit jam filling. Really easy to make, too.

Just mix up the simple batter, half fill the cupcake tins with batter, drop a teaspoon or so of your favorite jam in each one (I chose my sister's delicious homemade Strawberry jam this time.) Then top with little more batter over the jam and bake.

The batter is heavily scented with freshly grated nutmeg and a bit of cinnamon ~ the kitchen is filled with a heavenly aroma as they bake.

After they have baked dip the tops in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar.

Irresistible?

You bet.

In fact, the photographer became overwhelmed, and ate half of the subject during the close-up shot.

*blush*

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, it's HERE on the OUaP recipe blog.

Thank you for stopping by today ~ and Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful Moms!

xoxo ~ Mari

Tuesday

Fabulous Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Of all the Blueberry Muffin recipes I have tried this is my all-time favorite. I discovered the recipe back in 1995 in "The Taste of Home" magazine.I haven't made them in a while, but warm from the oven they were the perfect treat on Christmas morning. :)

Be ready for lots of compliments if you make them. They always receive rave reviews when I make them, and they don't last long~ everybody loves these muffins.

You can use fresh or frozen berries (don't thaw); this time I used fresh, and if they are available that is what I prefer.

The only change I made this time was to bake the muffins in individual crumb cake pans. Similar to muffin top baking pans they are a bit deeper and wider. There are also paper crumbcake pans like THESE.
Of course you can use any size muffin pans you like ~ but do try them, they are seriously good.

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe you can find it on the OUaP recipe blog by clicking HERE.
If you try them, I hope you love them as much as we do.

And... If you would like a chance at winning this Willow Blue Teaset,

as pictured below:

CLICK on the image for details!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Low-Fat Banana-Blueberry-Walnut Muffins

It's another FOODIE FRIDAY, hosted by sweet and clever Michael on her wonderful blog ~ Designs by Gollum!

Please click the logo below to check out all of the other Foodie Friday particpants.

This week I made it a quest to make Low-Fat muffins fit for a party...

Let's face it, sometimes healthier versions of baked goods aren't as attractive as their uber-refined white sugar, white flour, frosted, iced or sugar-streusel topped counterparts. :(

Since we eat with our eyes as well as our mouths, I think it's extra important to make the food look attractive so we don't feel deprived.

Dining in a different spot in the house or yard, colorful linens, a variety of plates, glasses, fresh flowers, candles and tablescapes all help to liven up mealtimes.

I must say, the good thing about eating a variety of fresh veggies and fruits is that they are naturally colorful and vary in texture which helps assuage dining boredom, too.

Like HEALTHY-Good-For-You muffins, they are... well... generally fairly uninteresting looking.

A few flowers, or in this case, many little organic flowers from the garden help elevate muffins to happy brunch fare, worthy of placement on a party table.

Happily we recently celebrated the success of Will's losing just over 30 pounds (yay!!) with a small brunch ~ these muffins helped make the table a bit more festive. :)

I cut the flowers early in the morning, placed them immediately in water, then assembled the tray about a half hour before serving. If kept in a cool place out of direct sunlight, they will hold up very well for an hour or two.

They were very well received, and I don't think the extra calories and fat were missed at all, even among the "full-fat-eating" folks!

If you would like the printable recipe for the muffins, you can find it on my recipe blog by CLICKING HERE.

Thank you so much for stopping by ~ and have a beautiful day! xo~m.

Thursday

You Won't Believe These are Low-Fat & Healthy Blueberry Muffins

For now my search is over!

These are definitely my FAVORITE Blueberry Muffins to date,

healthy-versions or not.

Moist, packed with goodness and high in fiber, they average about 80 to 100 calories per satisfying muffin. (Depending upon the ingredients you choose to use.)

You can swap out the blueberries for other fruit, too. See my recipe for suggestions.

The recipe is one I devised from several~ some from the internet, and others from a couple of my cookbooks. I bumped up the nutrition by adding a few ingredients; I used Splenda (tm), but you can use sugar or honey if you prefer.

If you would like a copy of the printable recipe, please check out my recipe blog by clicking THIS link.

I hope you LOVE them as much as I do. :)