As I look back on 2012, I realize that sometimes the only thing that held me together was my high-gluten content.
Today, I present thee with the most delicious, gluteness list of my top 20 most visited recipes of 2012. There are even a few healthy ones, including number one.
I’m sure we can all agree that there’s nothing quite like a sweet, moving experience. If all of the movies in the world were made for me, they would all have happy endings. As a matter of fact, I’m sure we could all use more happy endings in our daily life. And, with that, I present thee with a basic bran muffin recipe. A romantic comedy, if you will, where everything comes out alright in the end.
Preheat oven to 325F.
BRAN MUFFIN INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 cups oat bran
1/2 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
2 eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup milk
Mix until well combined. Line muffin tins with cupcake or muffin liners. Use just more than an ice cream scoop full to place into each liner. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until fork poked into the middle of one comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.
Sweet. Moving. If you enjoy a little twist in your romantic comedies, just add a few fresh blueberries coated lightly in white flour before gently stirring into your batter and the good news is, you can still enjoy the happy ending.
I love bran muffins with every fiber of my being. Even more than bran muffins, though, I love pecan glazed bran muffins. They are easy to make and a good-for-you breakfast treat that tastes like dessert.
Just place all muffin ingredients in mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 400F.
BRAN MUFFIN INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
1 1/2 cups oat bran
1/2 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
2 eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup milk
Mix until well combined. Set aside while working on the pecan glaze topping.
PECAN GLAZE INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup (one stick) melted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Place all pecan glaze ingredients in a medium bowl and give a few stirs.
Cover muffin tins with cooking spray (even on the top of the pan) and then divide pecan glaze between 12 muffin cups. Give glaze a stir in one muffin cup so that it coats the sides as much as possible then fill with a scoop of bran muffin batter. Repeat until all 12 muffins are ready to go in the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes or until muffins are done with a baking sheet on rack under muffin tins to catch possible drips of glaze.
When hot out of the oven, carefully turn muffins upside-down on to a clean baking sheet.
Cute served with a pretty paper doily underneath.
Nutty and super sweet on the outside. Good for you on the inside. The kind of person I long to be. She is a saucy, well-balanced little muffin.
Blueberry season opens in 72 days, 9 hours, 54 minutes and 28 seconds here in the Northwest. You know, either that, or in about 2 1/2 months. I do believe, however, it is imperative to have a perfect blueberry muffin recipe for any day of the year.
Preheat oven to 350F.
BLUEBERRY MUFFIN INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 sticks of butter (or 3/4 cup)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg (bottled is fine if you don’t have fresh)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
3 cups flour
2 cups blueberries
Cream softened butter and sugar together.
Line up your blueberries in a perfectly polka dot bowl (fresh or frozen – both are lovely).
Stir in remaining ingredients, then gently fold in blueberries.
For large muffins (my favorite), place two ice cream scoops of batter in each muffin liner. This will make 12 muffins.
If using a regular size muffin pan, use one ice cream scoop of batter per muffin liner. This will make 24 muffins.
I you’d like to get really crazy, you can use a decorating bag (or a Ziploc with a corner cut off) to squirt this cream cheese filling into each muffin.
CREAM CHEESE FILLING INGREDIENTS:
(optional deliciousness)
1 eight ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
About 1 tablespoon of the juice of a lemon
1/3 cup sugar
Cream cheese filling leftovers can be stored in fridge and added to many delicious treats.
I like to finish the filling off with a little swirl on top.
And if you are completely out of control, you can sprinkle homemade streusel over each muffin.
STREUSEL INGREDIENTS:
(never optional)
1/2 stick butter (cut into small pieces)
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 small egg
To make streusel, place ingredients into food processor and pulse until they are well combined but don’t let the crumbles get bigger than about the size of peas. Watch closely. If you have leftovers, you can store them in a Ziploc in the freezer for next time.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
Serve warm with a little butter or simply plain. Because, well, we wouldn’t want to get too carried away. Now there are only 72 days, 9 hours, 52 minutes and 37 seconds until blueberry season opens. Let’s have a muffin to celebrate.
When I was little, the only thing I was allowed to order off the menu was grilled cheese and a glass of water. This was how my parents were able to take our family out to eat but still keep things within the budget. It might sound like I suffered but I did love grilled cheese. You know, as long as it wasn’t made with real cheese.
But one oh happy day we happened upon a restaurant that didn’t have grilled cheese. O’Brien Manor’s menu was adorned with options like hot turkey sandwiches and cornbread muffins and sour cream coffeecake. How could I ever choose? Luckily we returned often so I didn’t need to worry too much. Sometimes I went for the sour cream coffeecake and sometimes the cornbread muffin. Warm. With loads of honey butter, thank you.
To make some delicious, moist corn muffins at home, start by preheating the oven to 325F. Place wet ingredients into a bowl and stir with a whisk until well beaten.
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup buttermilk (or put about a teaspoon of vinegar in regular milk)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (one stick) melted butter
Add dry ingredients.
DRY INGREDIENTS:
1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Stir until well combined.
Line muffin pan with a dozen liners. I spray gently with baking spray for good measure for I do not like it when muffins or cupcakes stick to the liners.
Fill each with a heaping ice cream scoop full of batter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they spring back when quickly touched. Remove from pan and cool on a towel or a rack. Smother with homemade honey butter.
HONEY BUTTER:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup honey
Using whip attachment, whip in KitchenAid mixer until fluffy. That is all.
Better than a fake grilled cheese. Better than almost anything, really.
Thank you O’Brien Manor (AKA O’Brien Turkey House) for the amazing memories. I miss you.
Spray baking pan tops (in case of overflow) & muffin liners with non-stick spray. Place one scant ice cream scoopful of batter into a large paper lined muffin cup. Put one tablespoon of raspberry jam on middle of each muffin. Of course, raspberry jam in the middle is optional but I highly recommend it because it is seriously delicious. Finish by placing another couple of tablespoons of batter over the jam. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until done in middle and golden brown.
If desired, cool muffins most of the way and then using a simple powdered sugar icing, draw designs on muffin tops to spiff them up a bit. Another optional topping can be slivered almonds on top of muffins before baking. And if you’d really like to get fancy, there is always the beloved streusel topping… swoon.
Streusel:
Place ingredients in a food processor.
1 stick of cold butter
1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
Pulse food processor until streusel forms into crumbly pieces. If it forms into a ball, you have pulsed it too long. If you end up with a big ball of streusel, it’s okay. It happens to the best of us. Just make tiny pieces & sprinkle over muffins.
One of my favorite fall treats while working at Scandia Bakery & Lefse Factory as a teenager was the spice cup. It represented everything lovely and spicy about the holidays in one cute little cup. You too, will love these sweet things!
First, preheat oven to 350F then cream together 1/2 cup (or one stick) of butter and 3/4 cup of brown sugar.
Add 2 eggs.
Mix in 1 1/2 cups sour cream and 1 1/2 cups of molasses, beautiful molasses.
This is when things get serious. The spices are oh so lovely. Add 2 tablespoons of allspice, 1 tablespoon of cloves, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. Do not question. Just add them and smile for it is fall.
On slow speed, stir in 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt and 3 cups of cake flour. If you don’t happen to have cake flour, regular flour will work fine too.
And what is a spice cup without raisins? Just one cup will do.
Dear Raisins,
I am sorry for the way I neglected you and discarded you in my youth. I now see the error of my ways. I love you.
Love,
Deanna
Using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop batter into muffin tins coated with non-stick baking spray.
Happy girl. Happy girl. Happy girl.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until fork poked into one comes out clean. Be sure not to overbake or they will be dry.
While spice cups are baking, make the glaze by whisking together 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water.
Let spice cups cool for about 15-20 minutes upside-down. Pour glaze over spice cups. You cannot do this without a smile on your face. I’ve tried. Be sure to pour as slowly & evenly as possible, getting it all around the edges of each spice cup for full coverage. The back of a spoon is helpful to help cover the sides.
Spice cups are even better when made the day before you plan to serve them. The spices are out-of-control delicious on day two. Be sure to cover once the glaze dries with plastic while they sit overnight. Decorate your home for fall and serve with coffee or tea.
When we bought the B&B, I found a little recipe card tucked away in one of the drawers. I had been looking for this recipe card, quite honestly, for 15 years and it wasn’t even mine. I had been on the look-out for a great – not good – but great banana bread recipe. Why? Because some of my fondest memories of childhood are hopping off the school bus and smelling mom’s homemade soup and banana bread. The bakery was closed on Monday, so it was the day we scored a dinner that took all afternoon to make.
Of course, once I found the perfect recipe, I had to turn it into something that required streusel and frosting. It’s a gift. And a curse. And a gift.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together 1/2 cup of shortening and 1 cup of sugar.
Add 2 eggs, 1 cup bananas (about 3), 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 2 cups of cake flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup of chopped walnuts. Mix well.
Butter and then flour a pan large enough to bake batter in, leaving enough room for rising. Something comparable to 2 loaf pans… perhaps muffin pans, a large tart pan (my favorite) or a 9X13 cake pan. (Baking times may vary depending on the pan style you choose).
Fill pan with banana goodness.
And because every decent coffeecake must have a streusel…
Streusel:
1 stick cold butter cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup of uncooked oatmeal
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup walnuts
Pulse in small amounts in food processor, watching texture to be sure it clumps only in pea-sized bits or a little larger. If you place food processor on low, the streusel will become doughy. Paying attention to these details is how we bake with love. The streusel & frosting can be used if you are making a loaf too.
Sprinkle oatsy, nutty goodness all over top of coffeecake.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until a fork inserted comes out clean. Do not over-bake or coffeecake will become dry. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes and then make maple frosting.
Place 2 cups of powdered sugar, 2-3 teaspoons of maple flavoring and 2-3 teaspoons of water in a medium bowl and whisk until all lumps from powdered sugar are dissolved. Drizzle daintally (I just made that word up) yet liberally over your coffeecake. Serve with love to your family next Monday after school. They will be forever grateful. And pleasantly plump. And forever grateful.
As you probably know by now from my posts, I worked in a bakery while in high school. It was one of my very favorite places to be as a teenager because of being surrounded by goodies, and my friends, and the goodies. One favorite of all of us who worked there was the strawberry sour cream pudding cups. I’ve put together my own little recipe to help me remember them again. They are so simple yet oh so glorious.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks of butter and 3 cups of white sugar.
1 cup of sour cream
6 eggs
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
7 ounces of vanilla pudding (snack size puddings work great for this)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of flour
1 1/2 cups of strawberry jam
Glaze:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together 1 1/2 sticks of butter and 3 cups of white sugar.
Add 1 cup of sour cream, 6 eggs, 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, 7 ounces of vanilla pudding (snack size puddings work great for this), 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of salt and then gradually add 3 cups of flour. Mix well.
Coat a cupcake pan well with baking spray. Coat the top as too so that if the pudding cups raise high, the edges will come off easy as well. Fill with about 1/3 cup of batter each.
Use a pastry bag to fill each pudding cup with 2-3 teaspoons of strawberry jam. Remember that you’re putting the jam into the middle, not the bottom of the pudding cup.
Bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven when a fork poked into the cake portion comes out clean. Allow pudding cups to sit in pans until somewhat cooled to give the strawberry jam some time to reset – about 20 minutes. This is an important step because if you don’t let them sit for awhile, all the jam will run out of the pudding cups when you flip them over.
Place a baking sheet over pudding cups. Carefully turn pans over to remove them from cupcake pan and onto baking sheet.
Glaze:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
about 4 tablespoons water
Whisk glaze until powdered sugar is mixed with water and lumps are gone. Glaze each pudding cup over the top and use a knife to glaze all around the edges.
Place on a pretty plate and serve warm or cooled. Makes 24 regular size.
You can use whatever kind of pie filling or jam you like. The sour cream pudding cups in this picture are extra-large and filled with blueberry filling.
Super delicious memories of sour cream pudding cups, and friends; and, you know, sour cream pudding cups all over again.
Deanna’s love for baking and cooking began as she sat upon a baker’s stool as a little girl. Her love for people grew in the midst of church potlucks. She expresses her loves today creatively through speaking, writing for her foodie blog as well as hosting guests, including celebrities, at her award-winning B&B in Snoqualmie Valley, Washington.
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