10 Thursday Sep 2015
As if Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread wasn’t enough…I had to go ahead and make some extra chocolately zucchini muffins. These muffins can also be made as chocolate zucchini bread, but I have a special place in my heart for chocolate muffins. We all know a certain wholesale store sells some of the biggest and best chocolate muffins ever…but it’s hard not to feel guilty when indulging in a giant 1 pound muffin that’s 90% butter. Continue reading
13 Monday Jul 2015
Tags
When we bought our house a few months ago, our spacious backyard was definitely a great selling point…What we didn’t notice was the big plum tree quietly sitting there, just waiting for us!
Now, we have so many plums we don’t know what to do. Except bake, of course. I have never gone out of my way to make anything with plums, let alone buy them. I think they are a fruit that tends to get overlooked. Or maybe I have just avoided them over the years. When I was a kid, maybe five or so, I was walking down by the lake with my mom and aunt. My mom found a plum tree, picked one, and was so excited about bringing it home. I proceeded to ask if I could see it and then threw it in the lake. I thought it was hilarious…but really I was just the worst. I have brought it up to my mom, who doesn’t seem to remember the whole ordeal. I was probably a little jerk too many times for her to keep track of it all. Now we have a tree, giving us too much fruit, so I guess I’m way overdue to make my mom some muffins. Continue reading
17 Monday Mar 2014
Tags
green, green muffins, irish, march 17th, muffins, pistachio, pistachios, st pattys, st. patrick's day
Happy St Patrick’s Day! This year I revisited pistachio muffins. I made them a few years ago, but had found a different recipe out there that I wanted to give a shot. Although some people would never use instant pudding mix in a recipe…that has never been beyond me. There are things like rum cake that just wouldn’t be the same without some good ole’ instant pudding thrown in the mix…judge all you want, but there are worse things in the baking world, in my humble opinion…
Although March 17th is a great day to wear green, eat green things, drink too much, and do everything as the irish would, today I always think of Grammy before anything else. Today would have been her 83rd birthday. I wish I could ask her what she wanted for a birthday breakfast or dinner and make it for her. I wish I could pour us both a glass of wine, and Cheers to everything she did during her short time here. I wish so many things but all I can really do on a day like today is think of her and miss her.
I can also hope instant pudding in muffins wouldn’t offend her. Hey, she was raising five kids through the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s…Even though she is the best cook any of us has ever known I sure wish I could ask her to share some of her retro doozies.
Recipe
Pistachio Muffins
makes about 12-15 muffins
adapted from Hannah Keeley
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and dry pudding mix.
Combine eggs, milk, sour cream, almond extract, and oil; add to dry mixture and mix until just moistened. Stir in green food coloring until combined, then fold in the crushed pistachios.
Fill baking cups until they are almost full.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes in preheated 375-degree oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
21 Tuesday May 2013
Banana Date Muffins with a seed topping
Originally, I wanted to make a super healthy muffin recipe for my Mother’s Day Brunch to balance things out a little…Then a few days later I decided there are plenty of days to be super healthy, but on Mother’s Day you and your mom should be able to splurge a little.
So I was left with lots of bananas ripening and a new recipe to find. I was thinking Chocolate Banana Muffins, something super decadent…Then I realized we had a bunch of dates laying around…and my mom loves dates! Perfect! Continue reading
12 Monday Mar 2012
I got the idea for these back before Valentines Day when I saw green muffins at the Metropolitan Market by my office. They caught my eye for some reason, and upon closer inspection I found they were pistachio muffins. I instantly thought of St. Patrick’s day.
I wanted these to end up greener – they didn’t scream St. Patty’s as much as the ones from Met Market did. Maybe they will give me their recipe…I was secretly hoping I could find it on their website.
There may be a “Pistachio Muffins: Round 2” if I can find a more intriguing recipe. These turned out pretty well…nutty, not super sweet, and good with a little butter (like everything in life).
Recipe
Pistachio Muffins
Makes 12
Topping:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper liners.
To make muffins: Cream butter and sugar in a bowl. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Fold in sour cream. Add green food coloring.
In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, nutmeg and salt. Stir in sour cream mixture until combined. Fold in pistachios.
Fill prepared cups two-thirds full with batter.
To make topping: Combine sugar and nutmeg. Sprinkle over muffins.
Bake until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
