Caramel Kisses-Filled Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I used the recipe for a good, basic banana streusel muffin at In Katrina's Kitchen and added a bunch of goodies. For the first few, I added toffee bits to the batter, but they didn't stay as crunchy as I wanted, so I just topped the rest of them with the toffee instead. 

I had some streusel topping left over, so next time I'll be more generous with that. If you don't like the caramel filled Kisses, you can use whatever kind you like. I always love a surprise inside my treats. And I like these better warm, so I microwave them before eating when they aren't fresh out of the oven. 

Caramel Kisses-Filled Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

4 ripe bananas

1/2 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

15 Caramel Kisses candy

Streusel:

5 T. butter, melted

2/3 c. flour

2/3 c. powdered sugar

1/4 t. cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Toppings:
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1/2 c. toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350⁰ F and lightly grease 15 muffin cups with cooking spray or put cupcake liners in each.

In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Whip up bananas using a paddle attachment for 3 – 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. It should end up being about 2 1/2 cups of banana fluff. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of the mixer. Add eggs one at a time and then incorporate the whipped bananas until well blended. Mix in vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Spoon batter into prepared cups.

Streusel:

Melt butter in medium microwave-safe bowl. Add the dry ingredients on top. Incorporate the dry ingredients with your fingers until the mixture is moist and crumbly. Drop the crumb topping onto the muffins.

Top each muffin with the mini chocolate chips and toffee bits, distributing them evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Lemon Crumb Muffins

I have loved Taste of Home  magazine for a long time. Real recipes made in real homes. This recipe makes a bunch of muffins! The recipe says it yields 40 muffins and I doubled it to make plenty to share and we had LOTS of muffins to share, which made LOTS of people happy. Soft and lemony.

Lemon Crumb Muffins
6 c. flour
4 c. sugar
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
8 eggs
2 c. (16 oz.) sour cream
2 c. butter, melted
3 T. grated lemon peel
2 T. lemon juice
TOPPING:
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cold butter, cubed
GLAZE:
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, butter, lemon peel and juice. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.                                 

 

In a small bowl, combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter.

 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. In a small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm muffins. Serve warm.

 

Blueberry-Chocolate Chip Muffins

My daughter Sabrina requested blueberry-chocolate chip muffins for her birthday dessert. I hadn't had any before so I didn't have a recipe. I looked online and found a few and made one a few weeks ago. I wasn't impressed so this time I tried a recipe I found on AllRecipes.com for Blueberry Muffins and I threw in the chocolate chips. I used only 1 cup of reduced fat sour cream and then 1 cup low fat plain yogurt instead of the 2 cups of sour cream. My kids said there should be more blueberries and chocolate chips, but they tasted pretty good and are very moist. And they were devoured much faster than I expected since the recipe made 24 regular muffins and 24 mini muffins.  

Blueberry-Chocolate Chip Muffins

4 eggs 2 c. sugar 1 c. canola oil 1 t. vanilla extract 4 c. all-purpose flour 1 t. salt 1 t. baking soda 2 c. sour cream 2 c. blueberries 2 c. chocolate chips

	Preheat oven to 400. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
	In large bowl beat eggs, gradually add sugar while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda.
	Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
	Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Berry Cream Muffins

I'm not sure where I found this recipe, but I've been making these for years. Very moist muffins! Today I didn't have 3 cups of blueberries so I just used what I had, but they are usually even more bursting with berries.

BERRY CREAM MUFFINS
4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
3 c. fresh or frozen raspberries or blueberries
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 c. (16 ounces) sour cream
1 c. vegetable oil
1 t. vanilla extract

            In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add berries and toss gently. Combine eggs, sour cream, oil and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.  Bake at 400 º for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done.
Yield: about 36 standard-size muffins.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Muffins

I started making treats for Sabrina's birthday party. She wanted a pig party, but we couldn't find anything at party stores with pigs, strangely enough, and piggie desserts were hard to find online. But my mom collects pig stuff and she lent a lot of it to Sabrina. So she decided to keep the pigs, but add something else for more choices with food. It became a Pigs and Polka Dots party. She always has very unusual themes. Remember her Frog/Skunk/Turtle party?

I figured just about any dessert with chocolate chips or cherries could qualify as polka dots. Right??? So we had a lot to desserts to choose from on the list. Since it's Sabrina's party, I have to give up a lot of control (not easy!) and mostly let her choose desserts. She didn't actually want this one because she doesn't like Oreos, but she let me make this one as one of the desserts since it is so easy. Easy and chocolatey with melty chocolate chips and chunks of cookie. I've had the recipe in my file for years and don't know where I originally found it. Next time I'll add almond extract or vanilla for just a little change.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Muffins

1 lg. egg

½ c. milk
¼ c. butter, melted
1½ c. flour
½ c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
½ c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. Oreo cookies, crushed

            Preheat oven to 400º. Beat together the egg, milk and butter.  Stir in the remaining ingredients except the Oreos. Fold in Oreos; batter will be lumpy.  Spoon into greased/lined muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Yield: About 12 muffins.

Crumb-Topped Banana Muffins

These muffins are moist and delicious with a great toppping. You can substitute oats for the nuts or just leave them out like I did. I've had several requests for this recipe when I've given them away. I think next time I'll add some mini chocolate chips to it.
Crumb-Topped Banana Muffins
1 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten

1 t. vanilla
1/3 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 T. flour
1/8 t. cinnamon, to taste
1 T. cold butter
1/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray muffin pan. In large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In separate bowl, mix bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla, and butter. Stir into dry mixture just until moistened. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.

Combine first 3 topping ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake for about 20 minutes, until muffins test done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Yield: 12 muffins

Mix it Up! IV

There are 3 different recipes on this plate. All 3 are here.

Angel Hair with Gingered Beef
This tastes like a restaurant dish and is so good. The sesame oil is essential for the best flavor.

1 c. dark stock
1 T. very thinly sliced ginger root
1/2 t. minced garlic
1 T. soy sauce
1 1/2 t. cornstarch
3/4 lb. flank steak, cut long thin strips
1/2 t. ginger powder
1/2 t. salt
1 T. oil, for cooking
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1/4 c. Julienne carrots
2 T. thinly sliced green onions
2 c. cooked angel hair pasta
1 T. sesame oil

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock, ginger, and garlic to a boil. Reduce for 3 minutes. Mix the cornstarch into the soy sauce. As you stir the stock, pour the cornstarch mixture into the stock. It will begin to thicken. Allow to boil for 1 minute, and remove from the heat.

Toss the meat with powdered ginger and salt. Heat the cooking oil in the wok until it is smoking. Add the meat, stirring, and searing it quickly on all sides. Pull the meat up the sides of the wok and add the mushrooms and carrots. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the green onions and toss all together. Drop the pasta by the handful into the fryer to create crazy noodles, fry for 45 seconds, remove and place in a bowl. Drizzle with the sesame oil. Place them on a big service platter. To the stir-fry, add the sauce and completely coat everything. Taste and adjust. Pour this over the noodles.

Fried Rice
You can also add chicken or any meat to this dish to make it a main dish.

1/3 c. green onion, chopped
1/4 c. red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. carrots, chopped
1 T. oil
3 cooked rice, cooled
1/2 c. thawed baby peas
2 t. teriyaki sauce

Put green onions, bell pepper carrots and oil in a 2-quart casserole dish and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Onions should be tender, but not too soft. Put in skillet. Over medium heat combine rice, peas and teriyaki sauce with it. Stir often until heated thoroughly.

Peppered Broccoli

1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/8 t. crushed red pepper
6 c. broccoli florets
1 c. red bell pepper strips
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in broccoli and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until vegetable are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Lemon Squares
These aren't as lemony as some lemon squares, especially when I don't add the lemon peel when I don't have lemons.

1 c. flour
½ c. margarine, softened
¼ c. powdered sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. grated lemon peel
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. flour
½ t. baking powder
¼ t. salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix 1 cup flour, margarine and powdered sugar; press into 8-inch ungreased pan, building up sides. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix sugar, eggs, lemon peel, lemon juice, flour, baking powder, and salt; beat until light and fluffy, 3 or 4 minutes. Pour over the baked crust and return to oven until no indentations remain, about 25 minutes. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
The Ultimate Chocolate Brownie Muffin
I always make these in the mini muffin pans. If you don't overbake them, they are dense and chocolatey with melty chips.

3/4 cup good quality baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder (heaping)
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups sugar (or to taste)
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Set oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups or 48-50 mini muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl combine cocoa and baking powder; mix to combine. Add in boiling water; mix well with a wooden spoon to combine. Add in the melted butter and vanilla; mix well.
Add in the sugar, mix well with a wooden spoon. Stir in eggs with a wooden spoon; mix until combined. Mix the flour with salt; add in the the chocolate mixture; mix well to combine (batter will be a bit on the thin side). Add/mix in mini chocolate chips or walnuts or both.

Using an ice cream scoop fill each of the muffin tins almost to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes for muffins or 10-12 minutes for mini-muffins or until muffins are done, don't over bake!

New Recipes This Week III

I am so bad at taking photos of food even though it makes it more fun when sharing recipes. By the time I get dinner on the table, I don't think about it. I'll try to remember to take photos more often. Sorry!

Teriyaki Burger

 It is a new favorite at our house and I can't wait to eat it again. I didn't eat it with cheese, but those who did liked it.

1/3 lb. ground beef
1 hamburger bun with sesame seeds
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/4 cup shredded lettuce
1 pineapple ring
2 cups teriyaki sauce (divided into 2 separate bowls)
2 slices tomatoes
1 slice cheddar cheese

Form round burger patty. Marinate burger patty in bowl #1 of teriyaki sauce for 30 minutes. Marinate pineapple ring in bowl #2 of teriyaki sauce for 30 minutes. Remove burger patty and grill on high heat to desired doneness. Melt Cheddar cheese on top of patty while still on grill pan by covering with lid. Grill pineapple ring on medium heat for 1 minute on each side. Spread mayo on both halves of the bun. On bottom bun, place tomato slices, followed by the broiled hamburger patty with cheese (tomato on the bottom). On top of burger patty, stack the pineapple ring and shredded lettuce, the top of bun.


Penne With Beef and Mushroom Ragout

This isn't really a new recipe since I've made it before, but I hadn't made it in a long time and had forgotten how much we liked it.

8 oz. penne pasta
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 T. flour
¼ t. salt
1/8 t. ground black pepper
2 T. olive oil
1 med. onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
½ lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 ½ cans (14.5-oz.) beef broth
2 T. tomato paste
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. dried thyme
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile toss beef, flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl until evenly coated. Shake off excess. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon. Sauté onion until translucent and golden, about 5 minutes; add garlic during the last minute. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Pour in 1 c. broth and bring to a boil; scrape any browned bits off bottom of pan. Return meat to pan and allow broth to reduce until almost evaporated. Stir in remaining broth, tomato paste, vinegar and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until meat is tender and sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes; adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve over warm pasta and garnish with Parmesan cheese.



Chocolate Zucchini Cake



This cake is so good! I think that the frosting is essential to make it perfect. The butter from the frosting seeps into the cake and makes it more moist and delicious. I gave it to several other people and they all loved it. I will add more coconut and pecans to the frosting next time though since I love them.


1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. pure vanilla
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. baking cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 c. shredded zucchini
FROSTING:
6 T. butter, softened
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. sweetened coconut
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 9x13-inch pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, oil and sugar, creaming until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves. Then, add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternately with buttermilk. Stir in shredded zucchini. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes until it tests done with toothpick.


Allow cake to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine all frosting ingredients. Spread over warm cake. Broil in oven approximately 4-6 inches from the heat for about 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake and be careful not to let it burn. Cool cake completely before serving.


Light Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
These didn't taste light to me. I usually don't like the texture of low-fat baked goods, but I couldn't even tell these were low-fat. I didn't have any mini-chips so I used regular chocolate chips and they worked fine. This is one of the few light dessert recipes I have that I would make and give to friends. It made 28 muffins for me.

4 eggs
1/2 c. oil
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 (16-oz.) can pumpkin
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. cloves
1 t. salt
12 oz. semisweet mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400°. Greas or line 24 muffin cups. Mix first 5 ingredients together until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Blend the two mixtures together; fold in chips. Generously fill muffin cups. Bake for 16-20 minutes.

New Recipes This Week II

Last week I made a few new recipes. We didn't like the Spanish Baked Chicken so I didn't include the recipe. These two were good though. Sorry I forgot to take photos. I'll add them next time I make them.



Sweet and Sour Chicken
*****
This is really good and pretty simple. It takes a little time frying the dipped chicken, but it's not difficult and very worth it. I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup and the vinegar to 1/3 cup and it was fine for us. I didn't need to make any additional sauce (like it suggests at the end of the recipe). It was perfect without it. Next time, I will probably add some green onions and red pepper flakes at the end for a little more flavor, but it was good without too.

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 c. cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. canola oil

Sauce:
¾ c. sugar
4 T. ketchup
½ c. vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. garlic salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry a small batch of chicken in oil until brown but not cooked through. This may take a few batches. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken. Lightly toss chicken to coat in sauce.

Bake for one hour. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.


Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins

These are so moist, soft and taste more like a cupcake than a muffin to me. I didn't have white chocolate chips, but needed to use up some bananas so we made them into double chocolate instead of triple chocolate. The recipe said it makes 10 muffins, but it made 16 for me. Even better! It took 20 minutes in my oven.

1 1/2 c. flour
5 T. cocoa
3/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 1/3 c. mashed bananas
1/3 c. canola oil or vegetable oil
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin pan or line with cupcake liners. In medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine mashed banana, oil, egg, and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Divide batter between muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes until done. Do not overbake.