Sweet Baked Life

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Category Archives: Muffins


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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Swing into spring with these bright and tangy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins!

Tangy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

With all the beautiful things that spring has to offer — why is the rain still lingering? And what’s up with the wind?

Oh well, I guess the rain and wind are just part of the season changing! But I wish it would just be bright and sunny every day!

So, in honor of spring, and all the things I love about this time of year, especially the sunshine, I thought I would delight you with these pretty and pleasing Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins.

Tangy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

Funny story about these sweet, spring muffins — you see, my teen son has been obsessed with Dutch Bros coffee lately. Don’t you know, EVERY ONE goes there? We have two of these shops close to our home and when my husband is traveling, and I have to take my son to school, he begs me to take him to the “IN” coffee shop. I usually give in (sucker!), as it’s much easier for me to drive through to get my coffee, then make it at home (long story here — see this post).

So, one morning while waiting in the line of (1,000) cars to order, my son happened to spy the menu. He immediately asked, “What are muffin tops?” I quickly looked over to make sure I understood his question, just confirming he was talking about food, not someone’s figure (LOL)! And sure enough this special coffee place was selling the tops of muffins! And, as you know, the best part of the muffin is the TOP! Ingenious!

As I explained a “muffin top” to him, he was intrigued, and asked if he could get one for his breakfast. He scarfed it down immediately and told me it was incredible. Oh no, going to this place on a regular basis could cost me a small fortune!

Tangy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

Well, that got me to thinking…I  told him that I could make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins and he could have them for breakfast. He thought that was a good idea, considering it’s a miracle if I can get that boy to eat anything in the morning. The following weekend, I gathered all my ingredients, lemons, poppy seeds, and the basics of flour, sugar and butter and I was happily on my way to bake!

I also decided to double the batch; that way my son could have them for his breakfast, I could take some to work for breakfast or a snack, and I could also give some to my traveling husband — everyone would get a special treat in the morning. And who wouldn’t want sweets for breakfast? No arguments in this family!

These poppy seed scattered muffins hve a dense yet fluffy texture and the combination of sweetness from the sugar and tang from the lemons is perfect! They also have a nice crunch from sugar sprinkled tops! Now, I did not make my muffins as large as the coffee place, but I did get “two thumbs up” from the kiddo! (mom smiling here!)

Tangy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFINS

  • Servings: 12-18
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

By: Sheila | Sweet Baked Life Tangy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup milk, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups and set aside.

Into a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – whisk until incorporated. In another medium bowl, add the sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and milk and whisk until smooth; then whisk in butter. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and stir until just combined. Then fold in the poppy seeds.

Fill muffin cups about 1/2-3/4 full and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until slightly golden on the top. Cool for about 5 minutes then transfer to a rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter (depending on your muffin tin, this recipe will either yield 12-18 muffins).

(Note, this recipe can be easily doubled.)

Tangy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

Tangy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

If you are in need to of a quick and easy breakfast, whip up a batch of these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins — they’re delicious and will satisfy you and your family without having to wait in a long line at the hot coffee spot!

Happy Spring!

Sheila

 

{recipe adapted from Martha Stewart}


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Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

Bring some sweet goodness into your mornings with these Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

Are you a fan of coffee cake and looking for an easy on-the-go breakfast? Great, as these Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins have all the reminiscent flavors of the coffee cake you love delicately wrapped up in a delicious single-serve muffin.

These gems are light and fluffy and the topping – well, let’s just say amazing!

My favorite part of these muffins is the streusel topping. As a matter of fact, I could probably just eat the brown sugary, buttery stuff all by its self and be a totally happy girl!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

And, if you know me, you know that I am always looking for an easy breakfast that I can grab as I rush out the door.

For me and my family, these turned out to be the perfect, any day breakfast treat. Make them on Sunday and you’ll have something scrumptious to eat in the morning all week-long. That is, if they last that long! You may need to double or triple the recipe if you have several sweet lovers in your home!

Or, you can even make these for a brunch or special breakfast. It’s up to you, but no matter what, I think you will love them!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins

  • Servings: 12
  • Time: 40 mins
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

By: Sheila | Sweet Baked Life Sour Cream Coffee Cake Mufffins | Sweet Baked Life

Ingredients:

Muffins
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Topping
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Instructions:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

First, prepare the streusel topping by combining the brown sugar, flour, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir gently. Add the chilled butter and using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until the mixture resembles large coarse crumbs. Or sometimes it’s easier to just use your fingers. Then pop in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; and whisk until incorporated. Then set aside until ready to use.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sour cream, granulated sugar and vanilla on medium-speed until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Turn your mixer to low, and slowly add the flour mixture until incorporated and smooth.

Divide the batter among prepared muffin cups (filling to 3/4 full). Top generously with the streusel mixture and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you would like to add a simple drizzle; combine confectioners sugar and milk and mix until you get the consistency desired. Drizzle over cooled muffins.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins | Sweet Baked Life

If your family is anything like mine, they will devour these Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins in no time!

Sheila

 

{recipe inspired from Martha Stewart}


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Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

Go bananas for breakfast! Get ready to make your morning a little sweeter by whipping up a batch of these soft and satisfying Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

Are your mornings crazy like mine?

It seems no matter what time I wake up, I always seem to be rushing around just about the time I need to leave. And that I don’t like. I like to wake up early enough so that I don’t have to do the rush thing, but for some reason it is inevitable. At the last moments before I jet out the door, I seem to be frantically packing my kid’s lunch, making sure my hubby knows the schedule for the day, remembering to unplug my cell phone from the charger; and the list goes on!

And sometimes my stress raises and my morning time shortens when I am the one to take my son to school. With the 50,000 times I have to tell him to get up and the 50,000 more times I have to nudge him to get dressed. At this point I’ve gone bananas myself! I thought as they got older, it got easier. Not!

Anyway…I really am an organized person. And sometimes I do the morning prep the night before. But sometimes I am just too tired and then my mornings become crazy. The only good thing is being able to unwind during my drive to work, which takes about 30 minutes. OK, yes, this seems like a strange comment. But even though there are insane drivers on the roadways and highways, I really don’t let those people get to me, especially in the morning. I really like to have a clear head when I step into my office and am ready to take on the day! And it’s made that much better if I have a good breakfast to eat.

Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

Well now we all can rest a bit easier and make sure that you and your family have a yummy to-go breakfast or wonderful mid-afternoon snack. These muffins are definitely the way to go. I love grabbing a few to take with me to work; they are a tasty and healthy alternative to the vending machine!!

You see, I always buy bananas with the intention of eating them in their natural state. But for some reason, at the end of the week I always end up with uneaten, ripe bananas. The other morning I woke up and thought, “What can I do with these bananas?” Ah, yes, I could make some classically delicious banana bread. Then after one millisecond, I changed my mind and Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins were born.

This was a no-brainer — as well as the bananas, I also had some left over mini chocolate chips and thought this would be the perfect combination; soft, creamy bananas surrounded by bittersweet chocolate morsels in a light and fluffy base with a hint of a nutty flavor from some oats. Just the thought of these sweet gems makes my taste buds tingle!

Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large ripe bananas
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Turn your oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Note, this recipe made 18 muffins and you can easily double the recipe.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until combined and set aside. Then in a small bowl mash bananas — I like to use a potato masher here. Set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment add the butter and sugar. Mix on medium-high speed until creamed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until well blended then mix in the vanilla. With your mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Remove bowl from stand and add the mashed bananas. Stir until just combined. Then fold in the oats and chocolate chips.

Evenly spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins

I hope your mornings are a little less stressed and more sweet with the addition of these Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Have a great day!

Sheila


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Blueberry Bran Muffins

Looking to satisfy a muffin craving? Well, here’s a delightfully healthy treat — Blueberry Bran Muffins. Not only are these muffins quick and easy to prepare, they’re filled with whole-wheat flour, bran cereal, and fresh fruit! The outcome is a light yet hearty muffin base bursting fresh blueberries! Blueberry Bran Muffins You see, my husband has been begging me forever to make some Blueberry Bran Muffins. So, when I was at the store and saw they had blueberries on sale, I quickly thought I would whip up a batch of blueberry muffins for him. When I got home I told him I was going to make these much sought after muffins and he kindly reminded me that what he was craving were Blueberry “Bran” Muffins. He was specific in what he wanted — not a cake like muffin, something hardier and less sweet. Blueberry Bran Muffins Why does your family have to be so picky? I instantly sighed, as I searched my pantry and discovered I did not have any bran. It was late, and I had been to the store many times over the weekend, and I really did not have time to go back again for bran (bad wifey!). I approached my hubby and posed the idea of including ground oats into the mix, he politely rejected that idea. Darn! But just when I thought I would have to forego the recipe, I found something in my pantry that I could possibly use — I had a box of bran flakes. I quickly told my guy that I could grind up the cereal and use whole wheat flour instead of white flour. He thought it was a brilliant idea! BlueberryBran Muffin And even better, white searching recipes online, I found one from Martha Stewart where she used bran cereal soaked in milk. What a great concept — no grinding needed and that would save me one step and cleaning up the grinder! After re-reading the recipe, I decided to change it up a bit more to my loved one’s liking. I pulled together all the ingredients along with my second great garage sale find — this 12-cup vintage muffin tin and proceeded to make these blissfully mouth-watering Blueberry Bran Muffins. Blueberry Bran Muffins Blueberry Bran Muffins 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1-1/2 cups bran cereal 1 cup almond milk 1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries 1 tablespoon granulated sugar for garnish Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. In a small bowl, combine cereal and milk. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until softened. In a large bowl, mix together the flour baking powder, and salt. When the cereal mixture is soft, add the oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Pour on top of the flour mixture and fold until just combined. Then add the blueberries and gently fold in. Do not over mix. Divide batter among cups and sprinkle the tops with a bit of granulated sugar. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted to the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool in tin for 5 minutes, then remove and place on wire rack. Serve warm. Store any remaining in a plastic bag for up to 5 days. Blueberry Bran Muffins What can I say, these Blueberry Bran Muffins came out perfect! And my husband enjoyed each and every bite. This recipe is a keeper in my book and hopefully they will satisfy the muffin lover at your home! Sheila (recipe adapted from Martha Stewart, Everyday Food, January 2007)