Thursday, August 29, 2013

Banana Blackberry Muffins

What happens when you have too much fruit given to you that needs to be used up ASAP? Well, you throw it into a muffin, that's what! I mean, really, why not? Everyone loves muffins! These could definitely be made into a "healthier" version.. substitutions needed for that will follow the recipe.



Ingredients:

2 cups mashed banana
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup french vanilla coffee creamer (can also just use heavy cream instead)
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen will work, just be gentle with the fresh!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.

Combine banana, sugar, vanilla, egg, sour cream, creamer/cream and butter until well mixed. Add flour, baking soda, powder, salt and cinnamon, stir gently on top of the wet ingredients and then mix into the wet until just combined. Gently fold in the blackberries. Spoon into a lined muffin tin (this makes a little over 2 dozen muffins, so you'll need more than one tin or more than one go-round in the oven) until cups are about 2/3 full. Bake for 15-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

For healthier version substitute:
Sugar - whatever sugar substitute you generally use! Check the container for what the baking ratios are. Splenda, for instance, is 1 cup for 1 cup of sugar. Can also use 1/2 cup honey instead. 
Sour cream - 1 cup of yogurt! 
Creamer/cream - 1/4 cup evaporated milk
Melted butter - add an extra banana
Flour - you can use 1 cup AP flour and 1 cup whole wheat for a whole wheat version.. Or for you folks that need GF, you can use whatever flour you generally use. Just know that it will likely change the texture, rise, etc of the muffins. 


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Cinnamon Scones

Well, I'm finally starting to get back into the swing of things now that baby boy is getting settled into the world. I can't believe it's been almost three weeks since he's made his entrance! He's a million times quieter than my other two monsters, but he still has his needs and that doesn't leave me with a lot of time to do other stuff besides a handful of chores here and there. My poor kids have eaten a lot of cold cereal recently for breakfast.. I have been trying to do what I can once in awhile to have a nicer breakfast, and today was one of those days. I LOVE scones, and I am a cinnamon addict. Plus, there isn't a lot easier than scones! These ones are a little less dense than scones generally are, but they're packed with cinnamon-y, buttery scone-y flavor. They were PERFECT with a cup of coffee, and easy to eat with a baby on my chest. 



Ingredients: 

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, grated (1 stick)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp butter flavoring (optional)

2 tbsp softened butter
2-3 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400º.

Combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Add grated cold butter and stir to combine. In a medium measuring cup or small bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, vanilla and butter flavor. I like nice buttery scones, so I added the butter flavor, but if you don't like things to taste like they're swimming in butter, feel free to leave it out. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix until just combined. Form into a circle about 1" thick on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread softened butter on top of the circle, then top with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the circle into triangles, but leave it put together. You just want to make it easier to get apart later. Bake for 10-15 min, until golden brown and the center springs back a bit when touched. Break apart on the score lines you made and enjoy! Preferably with a cup of delicious coffee!