Caramel Apple Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

l tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter or margarine,melted

2 eggs

l tsp vanilla

1 apple, chopped

DIP:

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

How to make Candy Apple Muffins

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
In another bowl, combine milk, butter, eggs and vanilla until well blended.
Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.
Fold in apple.
Do not overmix.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling cups two-thirds full.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool slightly and remove from pan.
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring honey and brown sugar to a boil.
Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Pour walnuts onto a plate.
Spear warm muffins with a skewer or popsicle stick and dip quickly into the honey/brown sugar mixture, then into chopped nuts.
NOTE: You can use a miniature muffin tin and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Super Power Muffins

These are easy, freeze well and the kids really like them... so they are great when we are running late for school (and they even have some nutritional value!).

1 C brown sugar
1/4 - 1/2 C peanut butter
1 smashed banana
1/2 C of applesauce
1 egg
1 C whole wheat flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 C chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix all the dry ingredients well and set aside. Blend everything else and then sift in the dry ingredients. Bake in a muffin tin for 15-18 minutes.

I stole it from a comment on a blog... so I don't know who to credit for the recipe.

Over Night Peach French Toast

1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine
2 tbs. water
Sliced peaches
French bread
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tbs. vanilla

Melt butter; add water and brown sugar.Boil till mixture foams.Pour into a 9x13 pan and cool 10 minutesLine the pan with the sliced peaches, covering all the caramel mixture. Slice bread 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick.Place on top of peaches.Mix eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour over bread completely covering it.Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.Bake at 350o for 45-60 minutes or until golden brown.

Bake uncovered, and then cover it up when you take it out.. serve with whip creme.

Glazed Lemon Scones

If you get Family Fun Magazine, this might look familiar... super easy and tasty. I flattened it into a square and made 16 instead of a circle of 8. They were still a good size. We have eaten them for breakfast AND dessert... such versatility!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
	Scones:
	2 cups flour
	1/3 cup sugar
	1 tablespoon baking powder
	1/2 teaspoon salt
	Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
	3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
	1 cup heavy or whipping cream, plus a little for brushing
	1 egg yolk, beaten slightly
	1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
	Lemon Glaze:
	1 cup confectioners' sugar
	1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
	1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
	1 tablespoon melted butter
	2 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream

1. Heat the oven to 400°. Grease a large, heavy baking sheet (preferably not a dark one) and set it aside.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest and toss the mixture with your hands.

3. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the cream, the yolk, and the vanilla extract and use a fork to blend the liquids within the well. Then use a wooden spoon to combine all the ingredients, just until the dough holds together.

5. Scrape the dough onto a flour-dusted surface and then, using floured hands, knead it gently three or four times to form a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk about 3/4-inch thick, then cut it as you would a pie into 8 wedges. Transfer the pieces to the baking sheet, leaving at least 1/4 inch between them. Brush the tops lightly with cream.

6. Bake the scones in the center of the oven until golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes. Allow them to cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack.

7. While the scones continue to cool, make the glaze. Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk them until the mixture is smooth. If necessary, you can thin the glaze with water, stirring in no more than 1/2 teaspoon at a time. When the scones have cooled for another 10 minutes, drizzle each one generously with glaze. Makes 8 scones.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Banana Crumb Muffins
PREP TIME
15 Min
COOK TIME
20 Min
READY IN
35 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 10 muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.


I just tried these today after seeing them on my friend Danielle's blog and they are to die for. Instead of 1/3 cup butter I did 1/3 cup oil for a little less fat. And I added a couple dashes of cinnamon to the batter as well.

Creepy Crawlers

This is a fun recipe for the kids. It actually crawls up the side of the pan. The kids will sit in front of my oven for the entire 20 minutes just to watch it crawl!

6 eggs
1 C. flour
1 C. milk
1/2 tsp. salt

Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a 9x13 pan. Pour batter over butter. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Serve with strawberries and cool whip or syrup.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

I LOVE hot, gooey cinnamon rolls in the morning (with a cup of hot chocolate, mmm....) but can't will myself to get out of bed early enough in the morning to make them for breakfast. These are made the night before, then raise in the fridge, so it just takes an hour total in the morning.

Dough:
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
1/4 C sugar,
6 T unsalted butter, melted,
6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
4 C all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
1 package instant dry yeast, (or RapidRise) approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling:
1 C packed light brown sugar,
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 1/2 T unsalted butter, melted,

Icing:
1/4 C cream cheese, softened,
3 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 C powdered sugar,

For the dough: Put all the ingredients in the bread machine in the order recommended... (mine wants wet ingredients, then dry). Start the machine on the dough setting. If you want the directions the old-fashioned way (no bread machine), click here. The dough should feel moist but not sticky.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside until ready to use.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.

Make the icing by whisking the cream cheese until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

Coffee Cake

2 Cups Bisquit
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

Topping
Brown sugar
butter

Mix 1st 4 ingredients together. Grease 8X8 baking dish. Pour batter in. Sprinkle top with brown sugar. Cut up small pieces of butter and put on top of brown sugar. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min.
This doesn't make a ton but doubling works.

Gingerbread Waffles

I borrowed this recipe from my friend Jaime's blog (she has great cookie recipes on now also if you'd like to take a look).

3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I used ground nutmeg the spice and it was still yummy)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, plus some to butter the iron

Preheat waffle iron. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet into dry until just moist. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Brush the iron with a little melted butter (this helps the waffles have that nice "crispy" outside). The batter is thick and the waffles puff up kinda big in the waffle iron, so just scoop a smaller amount of batter onto the iron than you normally would.
I topped mine with butter and applesauce, but the gingerbready flavors are not too overpowering for syrup.

APPLE SAUCE MUFFINS

1/2 CUP OIL
1 CUP BROWN SUGAR, CREAM TOGETHER
IN ANOTHER BOWL MIX 1 CUP APPLE SAUCE AND 1 tsp BAKING SODA TOGETHER
MIX ALL ABOVE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER
THEN ADD 1 1/2 CUPS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR AND 1tsp CINNAMON TO WET INGREDIENTS
BAKE IN MUFFIN PANS FOR 20 MINS. AT 375 DEGREES IT MAKES ABOUT 12 MUFFINS

Crepes - My Favorite Breakfast, Any Time of Day

Ingredients

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 Cup Milk

2 Eggs

3 Tbs Butter or Margarine - Melted

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

Combine ingredients into a bowl. Mix. I've found it's easiest to combine all of the dry ingredients and the slowly mix in each of the liquids while working out the clumps.

Heat a small pan to medium heat and then drop a little bit of butter on the pan and work it around to coat evenly. Give a good dollop of batter and move the pan around to ensure an even coating. Once the bubbles all pop, flip it over until golden brown.

Crepes are traditionally a breakfast food, however they are also enjoyable with minced meats for afternoon meals. My personal favorite is fresh chopped strawberries with whipped creme, but when all else fails they are still good with a little bit of jam and powdered sugar and cinnamon.

This was the highlight of my trips to my late Granny's house growing up and my Dad makes them almost as good as she did. My missionary companions from France and Belgium each had their own way for making the batter. One of them would make the batter hours in advance and then refridgerate it to make sure all of the bubbles had time to surface. I didn't notice much of a difference in the taste and it seemed more complicated than it needed to be. Don't forget to try them with a slice of vanilla ice cream wrapped up (oh yes, don't fold your crepes, roll them) and caramel sauce and whipped cream on top... I think I'll make some now.