Monthly Archives: September 2014

Pumpkin Streusel Millet Muffins + 5 Can’t Miss Pumpkin Muffin Recipes

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Some days are best started with a muffin.  Some days require more than a vegan protein smoothie or cold, high fiber cereal to make you feel good.  (No, I don’t eat vegan, high protein smoothies, but I think about it!)  Eating a muffin for breakfast is like giving yourself a present before you start the day.  All I need to start my day is a little kindness, a little comfort, a little something sweet and coffee.  Lots. Of. Coffee.  What do you need?  How about a pumpkin streusel millet muffin?

Since it is officially fall, I embraced pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in my kitchen this week.  I thought of making Joanne Chang’s pumpkin muffins with ginger kissed pepitas, but then I saw a bag of millet sitting in the cupboard.  “Use me.”  So I googled pumpkin millet muffins and sure enough Whole Foods had a recipe.  Shocking, I know.

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I adapted the recipe slightly by adding whole Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and 1% milk in place of whole milk.  So healthy! Right?! I had every intention of keeping these muffins healthy, but butter and sugar got the best of me and I added a streusel topping.  The muffin has a moist crumb and a mellow pumpkin flavor.  The cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves made my house smell like the holidays, but I didn’t feel like I was eating potpourri.  The toasted millet adds a nice and unexpected crunch to the muffins.  The streusel topping hooks you immediately because, well, because it is butter and sugar.  Bubba and the kids loved them and I bet your favorites will as well. Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Streusel Millet Muffins

recipe adapted from Whole Foods Market

makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup millet, toasted

1 egg

1/2 cup whole Greek yogurt

1/2 cup milk ( I used 1%)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 cup canned pumpkin purée

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

Using a large skillet toast the millet over medium/high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The millet should be golden brown and starting to pop. Remove from heat, transfer to a plate and allow to cool completely.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg, yogurt, milk, butter, pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar and set aside. Using a medium size bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and millet.  Gently, fold the dry mixture into the egg mixture until just combined.  Scoop the batter into muffin tins and sprinkle the streusel topping (recipe below) on each muffin.  Bake the muffins for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Cool muffins in the pan for 5 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Muffins are best the day they are made, but taste pretty good the next day too!  Enjoy!

Streusel Topping

recipe from My Recipes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened

1/2 sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:

Beat butter until fluffy and add sugars. Add flour, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat until just combined.  Use immediately.  This is a great topping for muffins, coffee cakes and quick breads. Enjoy!

5 Can’t Miss Pumpkin Muffin Recipes

Can’t decide between a pumpkin cupcake or a pumpkin muffin? Head to Flourishing Foodie for Heather’s pumpkin spice chocolate muffins with maple cream cheese icing.  Yum! I want to eat one now.

If you are toffee lover, check out Two Peas and Their Pod recipe for pumpkin toffee chocolate chip muffins.  Sounds like the perfect way to treat yourself on a rough morning!

I love snickerdoodles, so Heather Christo’s recipe for snickerdoodle pumpkin muffins is on my must make list.

Sometimes it is best to keep it simple, and that goes for muffins too.  Biscuits and Such has a recipe for pumpkin muffins that sounds fantastic.  Check it out!

Want/need/gotta have a healthy breakfast option at your next brunch?  Pinch of Yum has a recipe for maple glazed pumpkin muffins that is healthy and delicious!

 

Sunbutter Chocolate Chip Blondies + 5 Peanut-Free Treats Every Kid Will Love!

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Memories, good and bad, often flash inside my mind when I bake.  They come on strong, and leave me laughing or tear me apart; throwing off my baking zen either way.

“Mama my eye hurts.” G. “What happened? Lets have a look.” Me.

I didn’t realize what was happening. I didn’t know this was just the beginning of a very long day.

I give my Dad and his wife a hug good-bye, and buckle G into his car seat. Bubba starts the car.  N sleeps peacefully in his car seat and C happily sucks on a lollipop. “I can’t believe the Easter bunny is coming tomorrow!”

We head home.

He starts to cry. I turn around. Hives cover his arms, legs and chest.  His eye lid is now the size of a golf ball.

“He is reacting.” (To what? I checked all the candy.  I always check.)

Bubba pulls over; I give G a teaspoon of Benadryl.  He won’t calm down.  This should work, I tell myself.  We get back on the highway.

He is hysterical.  “My throat!” G.

“Mama, Daddy!” C.

Breathe. This is happening.  He is having an anaphylactic reaction.  The doctors mentioned this could happen. Remember?  You know what to do.  You played this scenario over and over, in your head, while your body ran; ran miles and miles in the rain, the sun, the bitter cold. Ran.

For a moment, amid the chaos I realize I’ve made the decision. I pull the dreaded epi-pen from my bag, unbuckle my seat belt and jam the auto-injector into my son’s thigh. He screams. C cries. “Mommy, no!” N is still somehow asleep.  Bubba drives fast and remains calm.  We are many miles from an emergency room.

Within minutes G is calm. The hives are still visible, bloodied from his constant scratching.  His eye remains swollen.  “I feel better now.” The epi-pen worked. 

We arrive at the ER and a nurse evaluates him immediately.  She detects wheezing.  G is so sleepy. Poor boy. We are escorted to a room where we spend the next 6 hours watching our son sleep peacefully on a hospital bed, the ER physician checking in every hour to see how we are doing.  Bubba kisses G on the forehead, he looks tired, and worried; tears ready to pour down his cheeks, if only he would let them.  He takes C and N home, where my sister-in-law waits for them. I wait and watch our boy.

He wakes up and asks for something to eat, as if nothing happened.  We just aged 10 years in 6 hours.  He won’t understand that kind of worry until he has kids someday. He happily eats a turkey sandwich.

It is 10 pm and we are home again. G climbs up to his sleeping sister’s bunk and says “C____ I’m back.” She hugs him.  He wants to play.  “Time to go to bed G. The Easter bunny is coming tonight!”

Bubba and I spend the next two hours hiding Easter eggs and putting together their baskets.  We climb into bed, exhausted.  We snuggle up to each other, holding on tight, tighter than usual.

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Slightly sweet with a hint of salt, Sunbutter is a tasty peanut-free alternative. The original recipe called for peanut butter and peanut butter cups, which I replaced with Sunbutter and chocolate chips.  The result is a perfectly sweet and moist brownie with just enough chocolate chips.  I love blondies because the possibilities are endless. Get creative!

Sunbutter Chocolate Chip Blondies

makes 12 bars

recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup Sunbutter (I used natural.)

1/4 cup of unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 tbsp. milk ( I used 1 percent.)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Cooking spray

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.  Spray a 9 inch square metal baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, combine Sunbutter, melted butter, milk and eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl until the wet ingredients are well incorporated.  Add the Sunbutter mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into prepared pan. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until a cake pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in pan on a wire rack for about an hour. Cut into squares and serve. The bars will last at room temperature, in an air-tight container for about 2 days. Enjoy!

5 Peanut-Free Treats Every Kid Will Love!

If  you love Butterfingers, head over to Jelly Toast for Emily’s peanut-free butterfingers recipe!

Looking for a nut-free Nutella? Momables has a recipe for sunflower Nutella and it sounds delicious. Check it out!

Last year I made chocolate and sunbutter pretzel bars. Bubba and the kids went nuts for them. Head over to my blog for the recipe.

Instead of making peanut butter granola bars for the kids, how about trying sunflower seed granola bars with chocolate drizzle? Averie Cooks has the recipe for you.

Divvies allergen friendly chocolate cupcake recipe is a staple in our house for birthday parties.