{Bakery Style} Lemon Blueberry Muffins

I've made a lot of muffins in my day.  They're such a great snack, perfect for a grab and go breakfast and a great addition to any brunch.  When I saw this recipe with the "Bakery Style" claim, I thought it was just a cute addition to the title.  I didn't expect it to actually be more than a regular homemade muffin, which is never a problem.  I was hooked with the "lemon blueberry" part and mixed them up for an afterschool snack.  I was impressed when I bit into them and was like, "Wow, they do taste like they came from a bakery!"  I don't know if it's the awesome crumble topping, lemon glaze or just plain awesome recipe.  Probably a combination of the three.  They are fabulous though and will definitely be put on repeat!

Ingredients

Crumb Topping:
5 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup sugar
½ cup flour
½ cup oatmeal
¼ teaspoon salt

Muffins:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup buttermilk
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups fresh blueberries

Glaze:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar
lemon zest, to garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners  Make the crumb topping by combining the melted butter, sugar, flour, oatmeal and salt. Stir with a fork until crumbs form. Set aside.  In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.  In a separate bowl, mix butter for 1 minute until soft and fluffy. Add sugar and continue to beat for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time and beat just until incorporated. Add buttermilk, vanilla and lemon zest and mix on low until combined.  Add flour mixture and stir, by hand, until flour disappears. Do not over mix or muffins will be tough. Gently stir in blueberries.  Divide mixture evenly in the prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle with the crumb topping.  Bake at 350˚F for 22 to 25 minutes or until light golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack. While muffins are cooling, make lemon glaze.  Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a medium size bowl. Stir with a fork or whisk until smooth.  Drizzle muffins lightly with the lemon glaze and enjoy!

Source:  The Cafe Sucre Farine

Raspberry Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

We're in the smack dab middle of winter and I don't know about you, but I've been needing something to keep me going.  These muffins are just the something I was looking for.  The citrus burst mixed with these beautiful, juicy berries, topped with a light sweet glaze are just the ray of sunshine I need to start my day, even if it is still gray and cloudy outside.  I found the original recipe on Love Grows Wild and made some modifications.  The resulting muffins are amazing and judging by how quickly they disappeared, I'd say the kids most definitely agree.  Hang in there, my friends.  Sunshine, green grass and warm summer nights will return. Until then, mix up a batch of these and dream of warmer days to come!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS poppyseeds
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil
3 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
3 cups raspberries
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar
3 TBS fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and poppyseeds in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix eggs, buttermilk, oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until moistened. Fold in raspberries. Fill 24 muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins and allow to harden slightly, about 5 minutes.

{Skinny} Orange Muffins

Muffins are such a glorious food.  A sweet little, hand sized morsel.  Pair it with some fruit and milk and you've got breakfast.  And it takes no time to throw them together for the perfect afternoon snack.  And you can go so many different directions with them.  Just look on pinterest and you'll find muffin recipes out to wazoo.  These orange muffins are a gem.  Just ask my kids who make them disappear in record time, every time.  They have a little citrus punch that will brighten up any cold winter day.  The greek yogurt substitution makes it so moist and cuts down on the calories so you can enjoy this cute little muffin, guilt free!  The glaze is fabulous and adds even more orange zip.  Of course, you can leave the glaze off to make it a little "skinnier".

Ingredients:
1⅔ cup flour
⅔ cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
⅓ cup coconut oil
⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
⅓ cup milk
1 egg
1 TBS orange zest
Optional Glaze:
2 TBS fresh orange juice
1 cup powdered sugar
1 TBS orange zest

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Line muffin tin with baking cups or spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.  Whisk together coconut oil, Greek yogurt, milk, egg and one tablespoon of orange zest together in a medium bowl.  Stir in flour mixture just until moistened.  Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.  Bake for 16-20 minutes or until just golden brown. Cool in pan for several minutes before removing.
Optional Glaze:
Combine orange juice, powdered sugar, and glaze in small bowl. Mix until smooth.
Drizzle over muffins a few minutes after removing from pan.

Source:  Mom On Time Out

Blueberry Banana Crumb Bread

Just looking at this picture has got me drooling all over again.  I've got to go make more!  Banana bread is a favorite at our house and adding in blueberries is just pure genius!  Top it off with a crumb topping and you've got something magical.  You can make this into a regular sized loaf, small loaf or muffin.  It's so versatile!  Let's pause and talk about this "crumb topping" though.  I don't really have much luck in the crumb department.  I just seem to skip that part and go straight to topping.  I have tried many times now, following the recipe to T, but my crumb just always melts into a caramel like topping.  Don't get me wrong, it tastes wonderful still.  I think my kids may prefer it this way in fact.  It doesn't look quite as pretty as the "crumbs" though and I sure would like to know what I'm doing wrong.  Any suggestions would be helpful.  In the meantime, go try this recipe and make some mouths happy!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
3 medim mashed ripe bananas
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Crumb topping:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoon butter, softened

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat one large loaf pan or 4 small loaf pans with cooking spray. (I doubled the recipe and made one regular sized loaf, 24 muffins and one mini loaf.)  Whisk buttermilk, brown sugar, butter and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in mashed bananas. In a separate bowl, sift together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan(s). Mix crumb topping ingredients together then sprinkle on top. Bake about 60-65 minutes for a large loaf, 30 minutes for the smaller loaves and about 20 minutes for the muffins, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Let cool before slicing.

*Source:  Who Want's Dinner

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

I got this recipe from my friend Karilyn.  Anything she touches in the kitchen is amazing, so I knew it would be fabulous.  And fabulous it is!  Every year around August, I start getting excited to make this tasty treat.  This recipe calls for fresh cranberries and they are only sold for a few months every year.  I guess you could use frozen cranberries but it just wouldn't be the same.  It's worth the wait, trust me.  I stock up on cranberries when they hit the grocery store shelves and make them several times throughout the fall and winter.  I share them with neighbors, teachers and friends and they are always a hit.  The tart little burst of cranberry mixed with the sweet, spiced pumpkin and topped with a crunch of nuts makes this annual treat a winner.  I usually bake it in muffin tins but you could also bake it in a loaf pan.  One batch makes 3 dozen regular muffins or 18 jumbo muffins or 18 mini loaves or 3 regular sized bread loaves.  Take your pick and enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup oil
3 cup sugar
2 cups pumpkin (or one can pumpkin puree)
3 1/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cups fresh cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.  Mix first four ingredients together.  Add remaining ingredients, except for cranberries.  Mix well.  Gently fold in cranberries.  Pour into pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake.  For regular muffins, bake for 25 minutes.  For jumbo muffins and mini loaves, bake for 35 minutes.  For regular sized loaves, bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.

*Source:  Karilyn Shields