Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins!

These muffins are delicious and are really easy to make. They are great for breakfast or a snack!

Here is what you will need:

Eggs, vegetable oil, lemon cake mix, Sprite, lemon juice, poppy seeds, sour cream and lemon pudding.

Ingredients:

4 eggs beaten

1/2 cup oil

3/4 cup Sprite

lemon cake mix

1 box instant lemon pudding mix

2 tsp. poppy seeds

1 cup sour cream

Beat eggs with whisk.  Mix in all of the other ingredients just until well blended with whisk.  Do not over mix and don't use an electric mixer or they will be dry.  Place cupcake papers in muffin tins.  This will make 12 regular muffins or 24 mini muffins.  Place in preheated 375 degree oven for 12 minutes for the mini muffins and 25 minutes for the regular muffins.

You can serve these plain without a glaze or drizzle them with this glaze and it just takes them to the next level.  These are so yummy!!!

For the glaze, mix together and drizzle over the muffins before serving:

Lemon Glaze:

2 cups confectioner's sugar

3 Tbs. lemon juice (juice of 1/2 of a lemon)

Cranberry Orange Muffins!

I had some leftover fresh cranberries from making my Cranberry Chutney so I decided to make muffins and they were so yummy!!!    These were great warm from the oven, but they were good the next day also!!!  The citrus and the tartness of the cranberries went well together.  Here is what you will need:

2 cups self rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

3/4  cup orange juice

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. orange zest

1 cup fresh cranberries

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Glaze

1 cups confectioners sugar

3 Tbs. orange juice

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, mix the flour and sugar.  Stir in the egg, orange juice, oil, sour cream and vanilla just until mixed.  Fold in the orange zest, cranberries and chopped nuts.   

Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.  Fill each cup 3/4 full.  You can also make 9 of the super large muffins instead.   Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.  

In a bowl, mix the confectioners sugar and the orange juice for a glaze.   Drizzle over warm muffins. 

*** You can use all purpose flour, but add  1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Ruth Ann's Banana Cream Cheese Muffins!

The recipe for these "Banana Cream Cheese Muffins" came by way of my parent's neighbor, Juanita.  She got the recipe from a friend of hers, Ruth Ann.  Not only did Juanita provide us the recipe, she baked a batch of the muffins and brought them over with it!   I love when that happens!   I especially love it when the muffins are this delicious! 

The beauty of this recipe is that it is so flexible.  You can substitute zucchini for bananas and make them zucchini muffins and you can also make this into banana or zucchini bread.  

Here is what you will need for these yummy muffins:

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

3 very ripe bananas, mashed  ( to make zucchini muffins substitute 2 cups unpeeled, shredded zucchini)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla together for about 3 minutes.   Add in the cream cheese and beat until smooth.

Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Mix just until combined and dry ingredients are moist.

Add in the nuts and bananas (or zucchini).

Spray a 12 cup muffins pan with nonstick spray or use liners.

This makes 12 large muffins or 18 smaller ones.  Bake the larger ones for about 25 minutes.  The smaller ones will take about 20 minutes.  The baking time will vary according to how full you fill your muffins tins.  Test with a pick inserted in the center.  It will come out clean when they are done.

Apple Walnut Muffins!

These muffins are delicious for breakfast or with a cup of coffee for an afternoon snack.  They also make great after school snacks for the kids with a glass of milk.   These are really easy to make.  You do need to prepare the apples the night before.  

 Here is what you need for these:

4 cups apples, peeled and diced

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1  1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine apples and sugar and let stand overnight in the refrigerator.  Beat eggs, oil and vanilla together.   Add to apples and sugar. 

Combine all of the dry ingredients.   Mix in the walnuts.   Mix with the wet ingredients just until all is moistened and combined.  

Fill paper lined muffin tins about 3/4 full.   Bake for about 25 minutes.  Makes 24 smaller muffins or 18 large ones.  





Sundried Tomato & Herb Muffins!

These "Sundried Tomato & Herb Muffins" are quick little muffins you can whip up in no time.  Other than the sundried tomatoes, you probably have all of the ingredients on hand also.  I love sundried tomatoes in anything, so these are one of my favorite quick breads.  As you know, I have a picky husband, and sundried tomatoes are not his thing (of course), but these are diced really small so he shouldn't notice them, right?  Wrong!  That man has a nose for picking out things in food like a German Shepherd.   He ate about half a muffin before he hit the sundried tomato and then it was over for him.  Oh well, just left more for me.  

 Here is what you will need for these muffins:

  

2 cups buttermilk baking mix (like Bisquick)

1 Tbs. sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped fine

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4 Tbs. butter

1 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients except the butter and garlic powder, mixing just until the dry ingredients are moist.  

Fill well greased muffin tins 3/4 full.  This will make 6 large muffins or 9 smaller ones.  Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

Melt the butter and mix with the garlic powder.  Brush the hot muffins with the butter and garlic mixture right out of the oven.



 Brush the hot muffins with the butter and garlic mixture right out of the oven.

These are great with soups and stews or with salads and pasta dishes!   



Sweet Potato Muffins!

                                                                       

I love anything made with sweet potatoes so for me these muffins were right up my alley.  My husband, on the other hand, turns his nose up at sweet potatoes or anything with sweet potatoes in them.  He won't even taste it.   Occasionally, he will eat something made with pumpkin though. He says he likes pumpkin bread now.   If you have picky eaters to cook for, you probably know where I am going with this.  Ok, so I told him eventually they were sweet potato and not pumpkin, after he ate two and talked about how good they were!  Sometimes, I have to do things like this to get people at my house to try new things.  Sometimes, it works, sometimes it doesn't. 

I got this muffin recipe from my Aunt Ann, who is a wonderful southern cook.  She is very good at developing recipes also.  Here is what you will need for these tasty muffins: 

2 cups cold mashed sweet potatoes (you can use canned or cook your own from fresh sweet potatoes)
1 large egg
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
2 cups self rising flour*
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups sugar

*If you do not have self rising flour in your area, use the same amount of all purpose flour and add 2 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt.

Glaze
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
2 Tbs. milk
1 Tbs. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, sweet potatoes, butter and oil.  In another bowl mix the flour, sugar, and cinnamon.   Mix the two together lightly.  Do not over mix this.

Spray two 12 cup muffin tins well with nonstick spray.  Fill them each about 2/3 full.   Bake for 15-18 minutes.  A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.   Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.  

Stir together glaze ingredients.  Drizzle over muffins.

Cheddar Bacon Muffins!

These "Cheddar Bacon Muffins" are so simple to make and they are great with soups or stews or really just about anything!   Anytime you can whip up a homemade bread instead of something already baked, you know it's going to be better.   Here is what you need for these muffins:

1  1/2 cups self rising flour

1/2 cup self rising corn meal

1 cup milk

1 egg

4 Tbs. mayonnaise

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled or real bacon bits

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. garlic powder, divided

1 Tsp. dried parsley

2 Tbs. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, milk, egg and mayonnaise.   Add the cheese, bacon, basil, oregano and 1/4 tsp. garlic powder.   Divide evenly in well greased muffin tins.  This makes 8 large muffins or 12 smaller ones.   Bake for 13 to 15 minutes.

Combine the melted butter with the parsley and the other 1/4 tsp. garlic powder.  Brush on the tops of the muffins hot right out of the oven.

***If you cannot buy self rising flour or cornmeal in your area, use all purpose and add 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt to it.



Lemon Blueberry Muffins!

Since July is National Blueberry Month, I thought I should do some blueberry recipes.  Blueberries are one of my favorites and this muffin recipe is one I have used for years now.  It's basically foolproof and it is very versatile.  It only has five ingredients and you can use any type of fruit, fresh or frozen, in place of the blueberries.  You can even substitue chocolate chips, my son's favorite.   Here is what you will need:

Ingredients:

2 cups baking mix (like Bisquick)

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

2 cups confectioner's sugar

3 Tbs. lemon juice (juice of 1/2 of a lemon)

Mix all of the muffin ingredients except the blueberries just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Gently fold in the blueberries.  Do not over mix the muffin mix or they will not be light.   Place cupcake cups in a 12 cup muffin tin or spray the pan with nonstick spray.  Place muffins in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes.  Let the muffins cool slightly, then drizzle with the lemon glaze.  This recipe will make 12 regular size muffins or 9 large muffins.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins!