Savory Pumpkin Cornbread Mini Muffins

I can't remember when I first typed up this recipe, but I would guess at least a year and a half ago. I keep coming back to it so I decided it was finally time to take pictures of them so I could share it with you! We are having them with our new years dinner tonight, but they are also great served with chili or even eaten just on their own! I love, love, love cornbread, but it is generally not so healthy for you. I tried to lighten up this recipe by adding pumpkin and taking out butter and oil. It results in light and fluffy muffins that come in at about 55 calories each, which is a good thing because I always eat several at a time!

Savory Pumpkin Cornbread Mini Muffins (Makes 12 mini muffins)
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cornmeal 
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk (I use the lemon juice + milk substitute)
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal through pepper) in a  medium bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (pumpkin through egg).

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.

5. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and spoon batter into pan.

6. Bake until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean- approximately 14-17 minutes.

Approximate Nutrition Facts: (according to My Fitness Pal)
Calories: 54
Carbs: 10g
Fat: 1g
Protein: 2g

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Mini Muffins

 I am not sure what it is about donuts, but something about them always draws me to them. I think it is probably the pretty sprinkles and icing. I have always wanted to make them despite my deep dislike of all things deep fried. I tried once, and it was an utter failure (not to mention my whole house smelled like "fried"), and I vowed to never fry anything again. Then there are the baked donuts you can make, but they require a special pan that I just can't justify buying, at least not for now :) So, when I came across a recipe for donut muffins, I was sold. I think their name describes them perfectly as they really taste like a cross between a muffin and a cake donut! And I definitely suggest going for mini muffin size because then they are like little donut holes.

 Cinnamon Sugar Donut Mini Muffins (adapted from Very Culinary)
Makes about 24-30 mini muffins
Ingredients:
For Muffins:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk, at room temperature
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

For Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and baking soda. 
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and buttermilk.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Set mixer on low speed, and beat in one fourth of the dry ingredients. Then beat in one third of the milk mixture. Continue to alternate until all ingredients are incorporated, finishing with dry ingredients. Be careful not to over mix. 
5.  Fill the prepared muffin cups with batter. Bake until lightly golden and firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tin and let cool.
6. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a ziploc bag. (I recommend gallon size, but quart would probably work). Once the muffins have cooled, brush each one with the melted butter.Then place a few muffins in the bag with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Shake well to coat the muffins. Repeat.

Lemon Blueberry "Cheesecake" Muffins

I threw these muffins together last week just using some stuff I had on hand and had no intention of adding them to the blog, but Nick convinced me otherwise. Every time he ate one he kept saying how much he liked them, especially the texture. So, I had to try one and was surprised that they turned out as well as they did. They are have a light lemon flavor that goes great with the burst of blueberry flavor hidden in the bottom of them, and the texture is very unique- almost like a hybrid between a muffin and cheesecake.

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 oz  nonfat greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• juice of 2 meyer lemons (regular are fine if you can't find meyer)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup cake flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder.
3. In a second bowl, cream together butter, sugar, eggs,  Greek yogurt and ricotta. Stir in vanilla and lemon juice.
4. Add dry ingredients and stir until completely incorporated, but be careful not to over mix. 
5. Stir in blueberries.
6. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray and divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
7. Bake until done (when a toothpick comes out clean). Mine took about 25 minutes.

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Muffins

After making these pizzas, I had some leftover ricotta cheese that I wanted to make something with. I debated between several different options, but finally decided on these lemon ricotta muffins by Giada De Laurentis. I made them Sunday morning because Nick's mom was in town for Warner and Colleen's wedding, and we were running low on breakfast options! I tried one later that afternoon, and WOW. I really, really liked them. I was kind of hoping I wouldn't because they aren't particularly healthy, but I couldn't help it- I ate two!

They have such a light and fluffy texture with a mild but delicious flavor! I am not the biggest fan of almond extract because I feel like it can be strong and overpowering, but this is not the case in these muffins. It is very subtle, and I am glad I didn't leave it out or substitute it. I will definitely be making these in the future and probably experimenting with them to come up with a healthier version!

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Muffins (adapted from Giada De Laurentis)
Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar or more as needed for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• Juice from 2 lemons
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds

Directions

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended (the batter will be thick and fluffy).

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the almonds and then the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar over the muffins. Bake until the muffins just become pale golden on top, about 18-20 minutes.

Oatmeal Butternut Squash Muffins

I woke up this morning with no intentions of baking muffins, but when I opened a can of butternut squash puree and it didn't quite taste as I was hoping, I had to find something to do with it! So, I decided to make some healthy muffins. They actually turned out better than I expected- in fact, I ate 3 of them! Oops. Oh well, I am glad to have another healthy muffin recipe to add to my collection. I especially liked how moist they were and the chew that the oats added. Another bonus is that you can make them in no time!

Oatmeal Butternut Squash Muffins
(Makes 1 dozen)
 Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (you can use any type of milk you want)
* 1 1/4 cup butternut squash puree (you can substitute canned pumpkin)
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
* 1/4 tsp nutmeg
* 1 cup white wheat flour
* 1 cup old fashioned oats
* 1/4 cup chopped pecans
* 1/4 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Mix wet ingredients together.
3. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Spoon into muffin pan with paper liners.
5. Bake for 13  minutes. 

Whole Wheat Pear Bread

For Christmas, Dad and Carla gave us fruit of the month club from Harry and David! I was so excited to receive our first shipment of pears! They were the biggest pears I have ever seen, and they were delicious, but I knew we wouldn't be able to eat them all before they went bad so I decided to bake with them. I wanted to make something somewhat healthy after all the rich foods that are consumed during Christmas and came up with this recipe for some whole wheat pear bread. I thought it was quite tasty, and I was actually surprised at how much Nick liked it. He even said it was better than banana bread! Now, that is a bold statement, and I am not sure I am willing to make that one myself (I love banana bread!). Nevertheless it was yummy and a good variation on the quick breads you usually see.

Ingredients:
2 cups peeled diced pears
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups white wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup pear butter *
1/3 cup chopped pecans
* We had some pear butter made by Nick's Aunt Frankye, but if you can't find any, I think it would be fine to substitute applesauce- your bread just may be a little less sweet.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray with flour.
3. In one bowl, mix the pears, sugar, egg, oil, and pear butter together.
4. In a second bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
6. Stir in the pecans.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan.
8. Bake until a toothpick can be inserted and comes out clean (mine took about 45 minutes).

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

My freezer is stocked full with frozen bananas that were "past their prime" for eating, but they are perfect for baking! I saw these muffins on Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, which is a blog I love to read because she makes so many delicious desserts. Her recipes have never let me down and this time was no exception! They were really good and had just a hint of the espresso taste. I will definitely make these again!

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 ½ cups mashed, very ripe bananas
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup 2% milk
1 large egg
1/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp instant espresso powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, sugars, butter, cream cheese, milk and egg.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Fill each sup about three-quarters full. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Move the muffin pan to a cooling rack, and let cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the muffins from the pan and let them finish cooling on the cooling rack.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

I saw a recipe for these Raspberry Cream Cheese Buns on Bake or Break. They looked so good and got such a good review that I had to put them on my never ending list of "things to make." I had some cream cheese left over that needed to be used so they quickly worked their way to the top! Nick and I both liked them a lot. I made some with raspberry jam and some with strawberry so you can use whatever kind you want, but I liked the raspberry best! The muffins were sweet, but not too sweet and had a good crumb and texture. I think that it would be a good base recipe for other muffins too (like blueberry or lemon).

I didn't change the recipe at all so you can just use the links above if you want to make them!

Butternut Squash Bread

I know butternut squash bread may sounds a little weird, but it's good- I promise! It is similar to pumpkin bread, but it still has its own uniqueness. This recipe is pretty healthy and despite being low fat, and the bread stays really moist! You can also add chocolate chips or nuts to it if you want- both are great mix-ins. I don't have a very good picture because I forgot to take one before I wrapped the loaves up, but you can get an idea of what it looks like from the picture below (It is one of the loaves with mini chocolate chips).


INGREDIENTS
* 1 (15 ounce) can butternut squash puree
* 4 eggs
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 2/3 cup water
* 2 1/2 cups white sugar
* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice
* 1 cup mini choc chips or chopped pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 7x3 inch loaf pans with nonstick
cooking spray with flour.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, applesauce, water and
sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking
soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and pumpkin pie spice. Stir the dry
ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared
pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick
inserted in center comes out clean.

Low Fat Banana Bread

I made this low fat banana bread for "Healthy Alternative" goodie day at work. I had read about it for a while on Cookie Madness, one of my favorite blogs. Since it had gotten such good reviews, I knew I had to make it. It was delicious, and I could not tell that it was low fat! I highly recommend you try it! Sorry the picture isn't great- I think I need to hire a new photographer :) But it does look a lot better in real life and when you cut into it.



Recipe (from Epicurious)

Ingredients:
* 2 large eggs
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 cup smashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
* 1/3 cup buttermilk
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Spray a 9×5 inch metal loaf pan with flour-added cooking spray.
3.Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
4. Beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy and light (about 5 minutes). Mix in smashed bananas, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.
5. Add flour mixture to banana mixture and stir just until blended. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
6. Bake bread until golden brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn bread out onto rack and cool.

Cornbread

I made this cornbread to go with some spicy chicken tortilla soup. It was quick and easy to make, and it was a great basic cornbread recipe. I found the original recipe on All Recipes, but made a few changes and halved the recipe. The recipe as I made it is below.



INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup cornmeal
* 1/8 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup buttermilk
* 1 egg
* 2 TBSP salted butter
* 1 TBPS honey

DIRECTIONS

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the milk, eggs and shortening; beat for 1 minute. Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 425 degrees F until bread is golden brown. (I don't remember how long, but I would start checking around 15 min).

Sweet Potato Bread

I found this recipe on All Recipes. It is really good- similar to pumpkin or carrot bread. I replaced half the oil with applesauce. Next time I make it, I want to replace all the oil with applesauce,reduce the sugar, and use some whole wheat flour. We will have to see how that works out! The only picture I have is of half of the mini loaf- oops. I am posting my version below. The original is here.



INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1/4 cup applesauce
* 2 eggs
* 1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/3 cup water
* 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans


DIRECTIONS

1. Combine sugar, applesauce, and oil; beat well. Add eggs and beat. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with water. Stir in sweet potatoes and chopped nuts.
2. Pour batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan (or 2 small loaf pans). Bake at 350 degrees F for about one hour. You may want to check it earlier.

Sticky Buns

These are what I consider "cheater" cinnamon rolls because it uses frozen white bread dough, thus cutting out a lot of the work. It still takes a while to make them though, just not too much "active" prep time. They were yummy though! The picture of them rising is courtesy of Nick, and the finished product is not so good of a picture because my photographer was unavailable. Recipe from Taste of Home .






INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1/2 cup whipping cream
* 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
* 2 (1 pound) loaves frozen white bread dough, thawed
* 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3/4 cup raisins (optional)- I did not use

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine confectioners sugar and cream. Divide evenly between two greased 9-in. square baking pans. Sprinkle with pecans; set aside.
2. On a floured surface, roll each loaf of bread dough into a 12-in. x 8-in, rectangle; brush with butter. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over butter. Top with raisins if desired. Roll up from a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut each roll into 12 slices; place with cut side down in prepared pans. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove from the refrigerator; cover and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
4. Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake 8-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.