Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins (Or, Heavenly Cinnamon Muffins, I Say)

 If you love the taste and fragrance of cinnamon, you will adore these  fantastic Cinnamon Muffins. The house smells amazing as these tender , fragrant muffins bake. Really, these are some of the best muffins I have ever had, and my husband who is not as excited about muffins as I am, has devoured them, singing their praises with each bite! I've made them a couple of times so far, and gave some of this batch away as soon as they were out of the oven. I find them addictive and hard to resist, so better some of them are at my son's house.

 The downside to these  Cinnamon Muffins is that I use 4 bowls to mix these up. One bowl for the topping, one for the filling, and two for the batter. But they are worth it once you take a bite. There is a pocket of moist, rich cinnamon filling, plus cinnamon chips are mixed in the batter for even more flavor. I added more cinnamon to the nutty streusel topping too. The recipe states that you can add a confectioners sugar glaze to the top of the muffins, and truly it does dress them up, but it's is not needed at all. I did half with a glaze and the others without. Both ways are delicious. I hope all you cinnamon lovers out there will give these Sinful Cinnamon Muffins a try. They won't disappoint.

Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins
Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour
Note: This recipe is supposed to make 12 muffins, but I made 15 this time. When I first made these, the batter spread out over the pan and I lost some of my filling. So making 15 instead works for me.

Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans- walnuts or almonds are good too
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons soft butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
In a bowl, mix all ingredients together until crumbly. Set aside.

Filling:
3 tablespoons soft butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon- I used Saigon Cinnamon
Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Add 1 teaspoon of water if needed to get it creamed together. It will be thick, like brownie batter.

Batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup cinnamon chips- I used Hershey's- you can substitute butterscotch chips instead, if desired

Preheat oven to 4oo degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake papers, or grease it. (I used 15 muffin cups.)
1. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, milk and eggs together. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients, including the cinnamon chips. Add the dry mixture to the liquid, and stir until just combined.
2. Divide half the batter among the muffins cups. Dollop about 2 teaspoons of cinnamon filling onto each muffin. (IF you make 15 muffins, you'll use about 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon filling). Top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle with crumbly topping. Press it in lightly.
3. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven, but wait 5 minutes before transferring them from the pan to a rack to cool.  Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

 Muffins are a sweet morning indulgence, one that I don't indulge in too often.  When I find a muffin that I love, I go overboard, having a couple in the morning, maybe a another one for a mid afternoon snack, and of course one (okay, 2) in the evening. These lovely Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins were so irresistible. With a soft crumb and tangy lemon flavor, they were just too good, too tempting to pass by. The first time I made them, I didn't glaze them as I never glaze any muffins I make. Don't need the extra sugar, I'd think. But this time I used a glaze and that sweet, lemony glaze put these muffins over the top in the flavor department. Superb, tart flavor. I love them and hope you will too.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, which she adapted from
Dori Greenspan
Makes 12 muffins

2/3 cup granulated sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon- I used 2 tablespoons and wouldn't use less
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1. Place a rack in center of oven, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a regular sized muffin pan with baking spray, or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl add the sugar and the lemon zest and rub it together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and the lemon fragrance is strong. Mix in the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and the melted butter until blended. Pour the liquid ingredients in with the dry ingredients and mix together just until blended. Don't over mix! That will cause a tough crumb. Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. Tops will be golden and tooth pick inserted will come out clean.  Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully remove each muffin from pan.
4. There was not a recipe for the glaze given, so I mixed together 1 cup powdered sugar with enough fresh lemon juice to make a glaze. Drizzle glaze over the muffins. Enjoy!

Store muffins in airtight container.

Cornbread Muffins

I think Cornbread Muffins are addictive, or at least these are! They are golden and crusty on the outside, sweet and moist on the inside. Spread with butter, or even honey-butter, these are so tasty! I don't care for cornbread that isn't sweet, but these muffins are just right. This is actually my cornbread recipe, but I decided to make muffins instead. I've made this recipe for a long time and don't really remember where it came from. I get 12 muffins from this recipe, or the cornbread can be baked in a 8x8 inch baking pan, or a cast iron skillet. Delicious! The weather here has been cool the last 2 days with a rainy cold front, so I made these muffins to go with my Hamburger Stew. Here's the recipe.

CORNBREAD MUFFINS

from Lynda's Recipe Box

Makes 12 muffins or an 8x8 inch pan of corn bread.

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk- I usually use 2%

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg, beaten

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray, or line with muffin liners.

In a large bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk together.

In another bowl add the beaten egg, milk, and the melted butter that has been cooled. Whisk together and add to the dry ingredients. Stir all ingredients together just until combined. Over stirring will result in a tough muffin. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins ( fill to the top), and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean and muffins are golden. (If baking in a baking pan for cornbread, it will need to bake for about 20 minutes.)

These wonderful muffins will be golden and crusty on the outside and tender inside. Enjoy!

NOTE: The original recipe used 1/2 cup of oil, instead of 1/2 cup of butter. Both work!

Old - Fashioned Blueberry Muffins (My Favorite!)

I love these Blueberry Muffins and have been making them for years. My family enjoys these scrumptious muffins as much as I do and they tend to disappear quickly. They are tender, cake like muffins laced with nutmeg and are perfect for breakfast or brunch, or with a cup of coffee or tea for an afternoon break. Either fresh or frozen berries may be used; however, the dough is rather thick when mixed, so gently fold all the ingredients together to keep from breaking the berries. Since I had some of last years berries still in my freezer, I decided to use some in this yummy recipe. They are delicious, so let me share the recipe with you.

OLD - FASHIONED BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

from an old Women's Day Magazine

2 cups flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (unsweetened)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk (I use 2%)

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds for topping, optional- or

1 tablespoon sugar for topping, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray muffins cups with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Add the blueberries and toss gently with the flour mixture. In another bowl, beat the eggs well; beat in the milk and melted butter. The mixture may look curdled, but only because the butter may solidify in small flecks. Add to the blueberry mixture and stir gently, only until blended. Fill muffin cups only 2/3 full. Sprinkle with sugar, or the almonds, being sure to press almonds slightly on dough. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. I get 13 muffins. Enjoy these wonderful Blueberry Muffins for a special treat!

Apple Spice Muffins

I had a wonderful time at our ladies retreat last weekend. The weather was perfect, not too hot, but the mornings were quite cool by the lake. Some of the maple trees already had some reddish leaves and the sumac growing along the road was brilliant with burgundy color! It has been dark and rainy here the last two days with a chill in the air, so I can say it definitely feels like fall, my favorite time of year! I have some fresh apples waiting to be used for some luscious dishes, so I'm starting with these apple muffins. I've adapted this delicious recipe from an old Woman's Day magazine that I bought when I was first married and we love these muffins as much now as then. These moist, cinnamon muffins are a great addition to breakfast or a perfect snack any time of day with a cup of hot coffee or tea. Give them a try!

APPLE SPICE MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups flour (sometimes I use 1 cup AP flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat)

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 1/2 cup peeled, chopped apples ( I used Jonathans this time)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup melted butter ( 1 stick)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and spices. Add the chopped apples and nuts, if using and toss to coat. In a small bowl, mix eggs, buttermilk and melted butter together. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Grease muffin tins or use paper liners. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes clean when poked in the center. This will make about 15 regular sized muffins. The aroma of apples and cinnamon wafting through the house is a delicious way to enjoy fall! What's your favorite time of year?

Country Pumpkin Muffins

I know it's not fall yet, but we've had some unseasonably fall like weather recently which has had me craving certain comfort foods. And at the farmers market a couple of days ago I saw sweet potatoes, winter squash and just a few small pumpkins! I didn't buy any yet, but it made me remember the canned pumpkin in my pantry that I hadn't used. And I hadn't made these muffins for a few months so I remedied that real quick. These Pumpkin Muffins have become a family favorite since I first made them last year. My son downed about 5 of these moist and spicy muffins when he spied them! His girlfriend gladly took some home with her also. It's a good thing this makes a large batch! These tasty muffins freeze well; I just wrap them individually and place in freezer bags in the freezer. At this rate though, I'm not going to have any left to freeze!

Country Pumpkin Muffins ( adapted from Allrecipes)
ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups pumpkin, canned or fresh (there will be a little more than 1 1/2 c. in the can, but I just use all of it)
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
nuts or sugar for sprinkling on muffins tops
Directions:
In a large bowl add the sugar, eggs, oil, water and pumpkin and beat well. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda and spices and blend into the pumpkin mixture. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, or paper liners, filling about 3/4 full. If desired, sprinkle tops of muffins with course sugar or chopped nuts. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. This makes about 27 muffins, which is a good thing in this family!
These muffins are so moist and addictive! Yes, you can add nuts and raisins to the mix, but my family won't eat them if I do, so I adapted the recipe to our tastes. Enjoy!

Strawberry Yogurt Muffins

I'm addicted to strawberries. Have been since I was a little girl. My favorite way to eat them is right off the vine, but when they are no longer in season , I'll definitely buy them from my local grocery store. They aren't as good as the farm fresh berries, but when you're an addict you'll take what you can get! When I saw this recipe for Strawberry Yogurt Muffins from Culinary Wannabe awhile back, I knew I'd have to try them. Then, the people from Stonyfield Farm contacted me to see if I wanted to try their Oikos Greek Yogurt, and of course I said, yes! So, I made these delicious muffins with the yummy, creamy Oikos Greek Yogurt. These muffins are the perfect addition for breakfast, brunch or anytime snack and have so much flavor, plus with the yogurt and whole wheat flour, they are a very healthy choice. Enjoy!

STRAWBERRY YOGURT MUFFINS

1 cup AP flour

1 cup whole wheat four

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup chopped strawberries (I used 1 1/2 cups, I'm an addict, remember!)

2 eggs

1 cup yogurt, I used Oikos organic nonfat Greek yogurt,

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl mix the flours, sugar and baking soda together. Add the chopped strawberries and stir to coat. In another bowl, mix together the eggs and yogurt, then add the butter and vanilla. Gradually add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Don't over mix, but the batter is going to be very thick. Distribute dough evenly into 12 greased muffin cups. Since I used more strawberries, I had 14 muffins instead of the 12. Muffins will be full. I sprinkled some coarse sugar on top of the muffins. Bake at 375 degrees for about 2o-25 minutes
until golden. Betcha can't eat just one! They are sooo good!

I used paper muffins liners for these muffins, but we had trouble with them sticking to the muffins when we first tried them. However, the next morning the liners came off much better. I'll probably just spray the pans with baking spray from now on. And I will be making these strawberry muffins again, many times. They are just that good! Any strawberry addict will love them!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Late last night, about 10:30 to be exact, I realized that there was nothing quick for this mornings breakfast. For me that's no problem, but for my daughter and son who leave very early for college and work, it's nice to have something to grab on the way out the door. So I make muffins or some other quick option that is easy for them to fix in a flash. I remembered seeing a muffin recipe at Judy's Kitchen that I wanted to try ( several actually), so after checking her blog, I found I had all the ingredients! Yeah! I didn't have to go to the store late at night! The recipe is for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins with Chocolate Streusel, but since it was so late, I decided to leave off the streusel topping, although I'm sure it is yummy. I'll make it next time, and definitely there will be a next time! These were wonderful muffins made with oatmeal, buttermilk, honey and chocolate chips! They were healthy and had a wonderful dense crumb and just sweet enough. The honey was perfect and not at all overpowering. And we can't forget the chocolate chips, after all chocolate is a food group, isn't it? In fact, I used more chocolate chips than called for and the muffins were not too sweet. This is now one of my favorite muffin recipes. Let's make these;

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup oatmeal, quick or old fashioned- uncooked

2/3 cup chocolate chips (recipe calls for 1/2 c.- I used mini semi- sweet chips)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp.baking soda

1/2 tsp.salt, optional ( I used 1/4t.)

2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk (you can use 2 tsp. vinegar in 2/3 cup regular milk to sub for buttermilk)- or use SACO, a dried buttermilk found at your grocers

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil ( I use canola)

1 egg, lightly beaten

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Streusel Ingredients- 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 2 Tbs. cocoa 2 Tbs. melted butter. Combine ingredients in a bowl and set a side. I didn't use the streusel topping. Instead, I added a few more chocolate chips to the top of muffins and sprinkled with coarse sugar.

For muffins, mix flour, oats, baking powder, soda and salt in large bowl. In another bowl combine buttermilk, honey, oil and egg and mix well; then add wet ingredients to dry mixture and mix until just blended. Do not over mix! Divide mixture evenly to the 12 muffin cups. I sprinkled more chocolate chips on top and some sugar, but if you are using streusel, pat it gently to set it. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove muffins from pan after about 5 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy! These would be a great addition to a Mother's Day brunch if you are planning one. Actually, they would be delicious any day of the week. They were delicious with my morning coffee! What do you like to eat for breakfast?

NOTE: If using Old Fashioned Oats, the batter will at first be somewhat thin, but don't add more oatmeal. The oatmeal will absorb the liquid and will bake up just right!
I found that if you use the Quick Oatmeal, the batter will be thick when you stir it up. It will still work just fine. The Quick Oatmeal absorbs the liquid in the batter very quickly, thus the thicker texture.
NOTE: Another option for buttermilk: You can buy dried buttermilk at the store. The brand is Saco, and it works great. Follow directions on the can for mixing, and use as you would use buttermilk for baking.

Banana Muffins with Walnuts

There's just something so irresistible about Banana Muffins baking and the way the aroma fills the house with the promise of something delicious soon to be ready to eat. Anticipation! It's hard to wait until until those sweet smelling muffins are done! When my children were young, we had a book called, "The Muffin Munching Dragon", which was a favorite of all, especially Son number 2. It's the story of a dragon that forces a village to make him muffins everyday, or he will burn down the bridge, causing hardship on all. Everytime I read this, my son would ask me to please make muffins! "Please, Mom, make me muffins"! And of course, I would do just that! We still love muffins and Banana is one of our favorites. This recipe is one I found on Epicurious, which was published in Bon Appetit. It calls for Macadamia nuts, but I like to use walnuts, plus a couple of other small changes I made. They are absolutely delicious and addictive and you should make them, now! Or, at least for breakfast tomorrow.

Banana Muffins with Walnuts

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp.salt

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas ( about 3 large)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup milk

1 large egg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffins cups with muffins papers. In a large bowl, sift the first 4 ingredients together. In a medium bowl, combine mashed bananas, both sugars, butter, milk and egg. Mix into the dry ingredients; stir until just blended. Don't over stir. Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Top with the chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of sugar, if desired. Bake until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Remove muffins to a rack to cool. Eat and enjoy! The texture of these muffins is light and they are so flavorful. The original recipe calls for nuts to mixed in the dough as well as used on the tops, but part of my family doesn't like the nuts, so I only use them on half. I also like to sprinkle on some Sugar in the Raw for some extra crunch. If you like Banana muffins, you'll love these! What's your favorite muffin?

Low Fat Blueberry Muffins

I've had this Low fat Blueberry Muffin recipe tagged to try for along time, so I finally decided this was the time. I have a favorite blueberry muffin recipe, but I wanted to have a low fat version on hand also. With low fat yogurt and buttermilk, they sounded really good! And they are, but not as good as my tried and true recipe. But I decided to post this because I really liked the vanilla, lemony flavor and ,of course, they are lower in fat. The texture is different because there are no eggs or butter in this recipe. If you are looking for a low fat muffin recipe, this might be the one

for you! If you want to give them a try, here's the recipe, slightly adapted from Taste of Home.

Low-Fat Blueberry Muffins

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbs. baking powder

1tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

1 cup blueberries

1 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt

1 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and lemon peel. Gently stir in the blueberries. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and the buttermilk; stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Batter is thick and I got 14 muffins instead of 12 like the recipe said.

Spoon batter into liners in muffin pans. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Have you ever ever been disappointed after trying a recipe that you really thought you'd love?

UPDATE! This morning, I have to say, the muffins taste better! They are still heavy, but the flavor is more pronounced and just better than last night.

Honey- Wheat Muffins

Oh,how I love honey! I love it drizzled on biscuits, rolls, used in marinades and sauces, and as an ingredient in these muffins. I made these often when my children were young, as my two boys were very finicky eaters. My daughter wasn't quite as picky. These Honey- Wheat Muffins were always a hit with them, as well as with my husband and I. They are also very easy and quick to make, and go well with almost any meal. They are yummy for breakfast, or with a salad or soup at lunch, or even delicious at dinner! So, I made these this morning, slathered one with butter and honey,poured a cup of coffee, and sat down to contemplate this past year. While there were some hard times, 2008 was still a good year. I expect that 2009 will be the same. I hope to take those lessons I learned last year and apply them to the challenges of this year. And, I hope to be a blessing to others. So I hope you'll try "Honey-Wheat Muffins"soon!

Honey-Wheat Muffins

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup melted butter

In a large bowl mix flours,baking powder and salt. In a small bowl beat the egg with a fork; beat in milk, honey and butter. Add to the flour mixture;stir just untill blended.Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 15 min. Remove muffins from pan to cool, or slather with butter and devour! Makes 12 muffins. Oh yea, this recipe came from a very old Family Circle magazine, from the 80's, I think! Have a wonderful New Year everyone!