High Protein Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Looking for a high protein snack or breakfast muffin? I adapted this recipe from one found on the Boost meal replacement website.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup oats 

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp turmeric (optional)

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 - 235 ml high protein vanilla meal replacement drink

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 eggs

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup avocado oil

2/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 

1/4 cup chopped edamame beans

Combine the flour, whole wheat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, turmeric and lemon zest.

In another bowl whisk the Boost (or Ensure) drink, lemon juice, eggs, brown sugar and avocado oil together. Then add this to the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.

Fold in the blueberries and chopped edamame. I used frozen wild blueberries as you can still see the frost on them in the picture. I used frozen edamame beans, defrosted and chopped.

Pour the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. 

Makes 12 medium size muffins 

Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Muffins

These savory cornbread muffins with a little hit of heat from the jalapeños will go great with all the chilis, soups and stews you'll be making this fall.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsps baking soda

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

2 tsp lemon juice

6 tbsps melted butter

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 jalapeños, 1 finely chopped, 1 sliced

First, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt and baking soda. Then melt the butter and combine with the honey. Add lemon juice to the milk. Now add the honey/butter and the lemon juice/milk to the dry ingredients along with the eggs. Combine well.

Fold in the finely chopped jalapeño and shredded cheese.

Scoop into greased muffin tins.

Place a ring...

or 2 of the thinly sliced jalapeño on top of each muffin and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

Cool 10 minutes then remove from tin to cool on rack.

Makes 18 medium sized muffins.

Adapted from: Houseofyumm.com 

Banana Sour Cream Muffins with Blueberries

Truth be told, these were supposed to be blueberry muffins through and through but sometimes things happen and you just have to improvise. 

1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup mashed banana (2 bananas)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups frozen blueberries (or 1/2 cup, you'll see why later)

Streusel top:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsps melted butter

Glaze:
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp cream or milk

In a large bowl beat egg, milk, oil, sour cream and mashed bananas together.

In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and add to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.

FOLD IN THE 2 CUPS OF BLUEBERRIES !! 
I'm yelling this because I forgot to do it : (

In a small bowl mix streusel ingredients together with a fork.

Spoon batter into muffin papers then add 1 heaping teaspoon of streusel to the top, pressing very lightly.

Then, if you're like me and forgot to add 2 cups of blueberries...

press a few onto the tops of each muffin. That's where I only used 1/2 a cup of berries.

Also, parchment lined tins happen when one forgets to buy more muffin papers. (I really wasn't on the ball today!)

Anywhoooo... bake the muffins at 400F for 20-25 minutes, then cool completely on rack.

Super as they are, but if you like glaze, then drizzle away!

Makes 24 medium muffins.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

You NEED these muffins in your life !!

5 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
1  1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a large mixer bowl. Add sugar, vanilla and eggs. 

Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Add to the batter alternating with the buttermilk in 2 or 3 additions until fully combined.

Mix 2 tsp of flour with the berries and gently fold into the batter. I used some store bought and some wild blueberries from our Algonquin park camping trip, all frozen.

Fill muffin papers 2/3 full. Makes 24 medium or 21 medium and 12 small muffins. The batter seemed pretty thick to me but it must have been because of the cream cheese.

Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes (15-20 minutes for small)

Makes a wonderful muffin that you could pass off as a cupcake! 

Banana Sour Cream Muffins

For some reason all my pictures show this one muffin with the curlicue on top!?!  You'd think that's all I made but this recipe actually makes 18 moist medium muffins

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Cream the butter, sugars and eggs together.

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together and add to the wet ingredients. And finally add the banana, sour cream and vanilla.

Bake at 375 F for 20 - 25 minutes for muffins.
Or if you want to make a banana loaf, 350 F for 50 minutes.

Here's a close-up of that curlicue!

Easy Butter Pecan Banana Carrot Muffins

A little like a cupcake but the oats makes it a little more muffinie (or muffiny? Is this even a word? You know what I mean)

Sometimes it's ok to cheat and start with a cake mix.
Instead of the usual 24 cupcakes the mix would make, this recipe makes 16 medium muffins.

1 - 432g butter pecan cake mix
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
1/2 cup oats

Mix bananas, carrot and eggs in mixer bowl, then add the oats and cake mix and beat until smooth.

Scoop into prepared muffin tins.

Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes. A cake tester should come out clean.

Drizzle:
1 tbsp cream cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch nutmeg
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/4 tsp milk

Blend the cream cheese, vanilla and nutmeg together and add the icing sugar. Add the milk to the consistency you like.

Drizzle on top of almost cooled muffins.

I wonder what other cake mixes and combinations could be used to make muffins? 

Orange and Lemon Curd Muffins

When I first bit into this muffin I was disappointed.
So disappointed that I deleted all my work-in-progress pictures. I thought there would be a lemon curd center. There wasn't. 

But once I ate it I realized the lemon curd made a very moist muffin. So if you like citrus you've got the whole orange and the tart lemon curd in this one to make you pucker up! 

Makes 12 citrusy muffins

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsps whey powder (optional)

1 cup milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 orange, unpeeled (reserve zest)

6 tbsps lemon curd

Mix both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and if using, whey powder together in a large bowl.

In another bowl mix milk, lemon juice, egg and vegetable oil together. Add to the dry ingredients.

Lightly zest the orange and set that aside. Then cut the orange into large chunks. Remove any seeds. Pulse in a food processor leaving bits of peel whole. Incorporate this into the batter, mixing just until combined.

Spoon a couple tablespoons of batter into muffin paper lined pan. Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon of lemon curd into the center of the batter then top with remaining batter. Sprinkle with zest.

Bake at 400F for 20 minutes. Cool on rack at least 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Raspberry Filled Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Lemony muffins with a pop of raspberry.

2 cups flour
3 tbsps poppyseeds
1 - 1  1/2 tbsps lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (vanilla, lemon or berry)
3 tbsps fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup raspberry jam

Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix the vegetable oil, egg, almond extract, sugar, yogurt, lemon juice and milk together.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined. 

Line a muffin tin with papers and drop a big heaping tablespoon of batter in each. Dollop about 2 tsps of jam in each and spoon on the remaining batter.

Bake at 350 F for 17-20 minutes. 
Cool no more than 10 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely as any jam oozing out will stick to your pan.

Put your feet up and enjoy one with a cup of tea.

Flourless Chickpea Chocolate Chip Muffins

These may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you are looking for a no-flour muffin this is a moist little bite.

2 cups canned chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 banana, sliced
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsps vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Start by whirring the chickpeas in a food processor.

Then add the remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips. Once it becomes a nice looking batter fold in the chocolate chips. 

Pour into 24 small muffin tins lined with paper. This batter does not rise. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes then enjoy, practically guilt-free.

Banana Sweet Mincemeat Muffins

Makes a light cakey muffin that'll go well with your first coffee of the day.
Or with your tea before bed.

2 cups flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tsps baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 banana, mashed
2/3 cup sweet mincemeat (homemade or store bought)
walnuts to garnish

In a large mixer bowl combine flour, sugar and baking powder together. Add to that the egg, coffee, oil, mashed banana and sweet mincemeat.

Pour into prepared muffin tins, top with walnut if desired and bake at 400 F for 20 minutes.
Cool on rack.

Makes 12

And if you ever want to make your own sweet mincemeat here's a link to a good one:

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2014/11/green-tomato-sweet-mincemeat.html

Rhubarb and Strawberry Corn Muffins

Seeing both rhubarb and strawberries in your garden or grown locally and sold in your grocery store, signals the arrival of spring.  Which is even more welcome than usual this year after the unseasonably cold winter we just had.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup white flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup Greek yogurt 0% fat (plain or vanilla)
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 - 1 cup chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped strawberries

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl mix the yogurt, milk and vanilla together. I used 1/2 cup plain and 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt. If using only plain yogurt you might want to increase your sweetener a bit. 
Beat the eggs and add to the yogurt mix and whisk in the honey and olive oil until well incorporated.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry just until it comes together. Fold in the fruit.

Bake at 400 F for 18 minutes. Reduce to 375 F for 4-5 minutes more.

Makes 18 muffins
A little crunchy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside.

Enjoy them with a pat of butter and a cup of tea out on the deck.  Go on....get out and soak up the sun! 

Pumpkin Sunflower Seed Muffins

In this recipe I used pumpkin pie filling.  If you use plain pumpkin purée you'll need to add in 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp cloves. 

1 cup white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1  1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp instant coffee granules
3/4 cup pumpkin pie filling
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp molasses
1 egg
1  1/2 tsps vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, divided

Topping:
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl mix both flours, baking powder, salt and coffee together and set aside. Mix the pumpkin, marg, brown sugar, molasses, egg, vanilla and milk together. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry, along with 1/4 cup sunflower seeds.

Line a mini muffin tin with papers and spoon heaping teaspoonfuls into each muffin paper, sprinkle tops with the remaining sunflower seeds and bake at 350 F for 12-15 minutes.

You can eat 'em just like this or glaze them.

Melt the marg. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Brush the muffin tops with the melted marg and dip in the sugar/cinnmon mix. 

Makes 28 mini muffins