Blueberry Muffins

I’ve been on the hunt for the best blueberry muffin recipe. This one is SO GOOD! And I love how it makes 24 muffins instead of 12 because come on, 12 really isn’t enough, right? Perfect for delicious summer breakfasts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper liners in muffin pans.

 Streusel Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter, slightly softened and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
In a medium bowl, stir flour and sugar.  Add butter pieces and combine mixture with a fork until topping resembles coarse crumbs.  Set aside.

Muffin Batter
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 sticks butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder and baking soda.
With an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). 

At low speed, beat  in one egg at a time, then add vanilla, sour cream, and milk until combined. 
Add 1/3 of dry ingredients at a time and beat until just combined. 
With a spatula, evenly fold blueberries into batter.
Spoon batter into muffin pans and fill each cup to the top.
Sprinkle streusel topping over batter.
Bake for about 24 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and they are lightly brown.

Makes 24 muffins.

*From Little Magnolia Kitchen

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

I make these about once a week. My kids love them so much and they’re packed full of nutritious things so I don’t mind. They even ask for these for dessert after dinner. I love win-win’s when it comes to kids and food. I like to bake them in a mini muffin tin, but they definitely can be made into regular sized muffins. They’re just so cute mini:)

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup old fashioned oats (I’ve used quick oats before and it works)

1/2 cup flax seed meal

1/4 plus 2T brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t ground ginger

1/2 t nutmeg

1/2 t cloves

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1/2 c mini chocolate chips (optional)

1 c zucchini, grated with skin on

1/2 c carrots, grated

2 eggs

6 oz plain Greek yogurt (sour cream can be substituted)

2 T oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin tin with nonstick spray or line with paper cups. I usually use paper cups when making regular sized muffins and don’t with the mini’s.

In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine all of the dry ingredients with excluding the chocolate chips.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients including zucchini and carrots. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon for the min muffin tins or a 1/4 cup for the regular sized muffins, fill each muffin cup. I usually fill 2 mini muffin tins or 1 regular muffin tin. Bake for 6-7 minutes for the mini muffins or 16-18 minutes for regular muffins or until toothpick comes out clean or cupcake springs back when touched. 

Wait 2-3 minutes before removing if not using paper cups. Let cool or eat straight out of the oven;)

*From The Lemon Bowl

7-Up Biscuits

So I needed a bread to make at the last minute on Sunday and got online to see what I could find. I really wanted rolls, but didn’t have the time. I’ve made several biscuit recipes that I love, but wanted to see if there was something else out there. That’s when I found these.

I will never make another biscuit! They were so flaky, buttery and delicious. Not to mention super fast. Because of Bryce’s birthday party I happened to have 7-up on hand which was awesome since we never have soda in the house. Also since I didn’t have Bisquick, I ended up making my own, which I ‘m also going to keep using. If you have people coming over at the last minute and need something quick and delicious, try these!!

4 cups Bisquick (or all of this homemade recipe found here)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup 7-up

1/2 cup (1stick) melted butter

Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7-up in a large bowl. Dough will be very soft. I actually had to add a little more Bisquick until I was able to handle it to knead it. Knead and fold dough until it comes together. Flour your counter and pat dough out until about 1 inch thick. Cut them out using a cookie cutter or cup about 3-4 inches wide. Melt butter and put into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Place biscuits on top of melted butter. You should end up with almost exactly 12 biscuits. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned on top. Enjoy!!

Honey Banana Muffins

Sometimes I get obsessed with what I feed my kids…especially when I’m pregnant and have lost most motivation to make an effort in this area. After a few days of noticing they aren’t eating the most healthy things, I go on a “health binge” with them. I’ve been wanting to find a really good “healthy” muffin and have tried several recipes and came up with these. There’s no sugar – it’s sweetened with honey, plenty of whole wheat flour and flax seed. I’ve become a HUGE supporter of flax seed as of late. It’s such a healthy grain that can be added to most anything. I ALWAYS add it to my muffins, pancakes, waffles, breads, etc. I highly suggest trying it – it bumps up the nutritional value significantly. I buy mine milled from Costco in a huge bag that has an incredibly long shelf life. I just throw it in whenever I can.

ANYWAY, I judge how good things are based on my kids’ reaction to them. If they finish it in a few seconds and ask for more, I know it’s a winner. After eating 2 of these and asking for a 3rd, I knew I’d found a gem:) They’re kid approved and hey, I say if its healthy and the kids love them, it’s a success!! So if you’re looking for a healthy option to give your kids while they still think they’re getting a special treat, look no further!!

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (you definitely can use ALL whole wheat)

1 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t salt

4 T milled flax seed (this can be left out if you don’t have it)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (usually 2 bananas)

1/2 cup unsweetened, all natural applesauce

6 T honey

1/2 cup raisins, crainsins, or chocolate chips (your choice)

In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Combine the eggs, banana, applesauce and honey in another bowl. Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in the raisins or chocolate chips

Line a muffin tin with liners and fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

*I also like to make these in a mini muffin tin so they are easier for kids to pop them in their mouth. Or make them half mini and half regular.

*Makes about 14-16 muffins

* From All Recipes