CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

• 6 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate (or 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips)

• ⅓ cup butter

• ¾ cup buttermilk

  1/2 cup sour cream

• 3/4 cup white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

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Directions:

1. 
   

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-18 muffin cups with papers or spray with Pam.

2. In a small saucepan over low heat (or microwave), melt the semisweet chocolate together with the butter. Let stand until cooled, about 10 minutes.

3. Lightly beat the eggs. Stir together the chocolate-butter mixture with the buttermilk, sour cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until blended well.

4. In a large bowl, stir together flour, soda, and salt. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the chocolate mixture, and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups.  I like to sprinkle with sugar at this point.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove muffin tin from oven and let stand at least 5 minutes, before removing the muffins and letting them cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cooled; can be frozen as well.

   Notes:  For the buttermilk, I sometimes put about a tablespoon of sour cream in a measuring cup and then add milk to measure 3/4 of a cup.  Mix together.  This is a family favorite.  Very cake like.  Makes 18 muffins for me.

Healthy Applesauce Oat Muffins

Yield: Makes 12 muffins

Mel's Kitchen Cafe: I always double this recipe because they freeze so well!

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled/old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins, optional

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or grease the muffin cups. Set aside..
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the oatmeal, applesauce, milk, egg, vanilla, butter and sugar. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt (and cranberries or raisins if using). Make a well in the center and pour in the applesauce mixture. Stir until just combined (don't overmix or the muffins will be dense and dry).
4. Distribute the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don't overbake or the muffins will be dry.
5. Remove the muffins to a rack to cool completely. Once cool, I place 6-9 muffins in a large freezer ziploc bag, and seal the bag, then freeze, pulling them out one by one to stick in my kids lunches or warm slightly for a snack.

Note from Maria:  These are really good.  I made some applesauce with Mom so I was looking at some recipes that have applesauce as an ingredient.  My kids love them, too even without butter or other topping.

Buttermilk Banana Bread

from melskitchencafe.com

*Makes 1 large loaf

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (I use about 3 average sized bananas)
4 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Grease and flour 1 large loaf pan (9 1/4 X 5 1/4-inch) or whatever combination of pans you'd like (several commenters have said this recipe works great made into muffins or smaller loaf pans).
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla until the batter is well mixed. Add in the flour, baking powder, salt and soda. Mix until well combined. Divide batter into greased and floured bread pans and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Maria's notes: With this recipe I have finally convinced all of my children that they really do like banana bread! I use three of the 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 inch bread pans. The loaves are smaller, but that way they always get done in the middle. I bake them for 35-40 minutes. My children love a few chocolate chips sprinkled on top. This bread is a nice light color --very pretty. We love it.

Double Chocolate Muffins

printed from melskitchencafe.com

*Note: This recipe makes more than 24 muffins. Because I only have two regular-sized muffins pans and was impatient, I made the rest of the batter into 16 mini muffins. You could easily make all regular-sized muffins if you want. Also, I had some all-natural plum juice in the refrigerator and subbed that in for the water. The taste was unnoticeable but was a little boost in fruit and fiber. I think the water would work just as well, but if you have plum juice just sitting around, throw it in!

*Makes 24 regular sized muffins and 16 mini-muffins

Maria's note: I made about 29 regular sized muffins. We all really liked these muffins--not too sweet--definitely more on the dark chocolate side of chocolate.

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup light or regular sour cream
1/2 cup water or plum juice
1/2 cup lowfat milk
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, chocolate chips and salt. Toss to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, water (or juice), milk, oil and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet mixture, stirring just until moistened (a few dry streaks and lumps are fine).

Line muffins cups with paper liners and fill the cups 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins to a wire rack to let cool completely.

Apple Walnut Magic Muffins

The base recipe for these muffins comes from the Malt-o-Meal quick cooking how wheat cereal box. My mom would always make these muffins, but would add an apple and walnuts to make them extra moist and delicious. It is a great way to use up apples that aren't very good for whatever reason. I usually double this recipe and the muffins also freeze beautifully.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 c. Original Malt-o-Meal hot wheat cereal, dry

1/2 c. sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. milk

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Extra add ins:

1 grated apple (doesn't matter how gross plain)

1/2 c. (or so) chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In large mixing bowl combine all ingredients and stir together until all ingredients are moistened. (I usually combine all dry ingredients and then add the wet stuff.) Then I stir in my grated apple and chopped walnuts. Pour batter into muffin pan, roughly 3/4 full per muffin and bake 18-20 minutes. ENJOY!

Yield: 12 muffins

Classic Bran Muffins

Classic Bran Muffins
We have made these often. I like the hint of sweetness in the muffins.
www.allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins


DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2.Mix together wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes.
3.Beat together oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and add to buttermilk/bran mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture, until just blended. Fold in raisins and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
4.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool.

Lemon Streusel Muffins

1 1/2 C flour
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 C plain yogurt
1/2 C butter, melted
1 T grated lemon peel
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

For the streusel:
3 T flour
3 T sugar
1 T cold butter

For the glaze:
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, butter, lemon peel and lemon juice. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix, just until moistened. Let batter rest for 5 minutes. Grease muffin cups and fill the cups 3/4 full. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and butter. Using your hands, or a pastry blender, mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the streusel over the batter.

Bake muffins at 350 degrees for 15-20 miutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and remove onto a wire rack.

Mix together the powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to make a thin glaze. Drizzle over warm muffins.

I found this on The Sisters' Cafe

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

1 1/2 C flour
3/4 C white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 C milk
2 apples, peeled and chopped

topping:
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C flour
1/4 butter
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups.

Stir together first 5 ingredients. Mix in oil, egg and milk. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into muffin cups.

In a small bowl, stir together topping ingredients. Sprinkle over unbaked muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. oil
3 eggs
1 lb. can pumpkin (15 oz. can works fine)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Measure all ingredients in a big mixing bowl. Beat together well for 5 minutes.

Add 1 c. chocolate chips - if desired.

Pour into cupcake pans (fill more than 1/2 full). Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes.