Weekly Dish

I made these yummy muffins for some new neighbors who moved in across the street a few weeks ago, and I’d been waiting for the right time to post about them. As soon as I heard Alanna’s idea for this month’s Sugar High Friday — Surprise Inside — I knew this recipe would do the trick.

The cake part of these muffins is buttery and dense, almost shortbread-esque, with a hint of almond. Once you take a bite, though, you get a burst of orange. A dollop of marmalade makes its way into the center of the muffin as you’re filling the muffin cups, but you’d never know it to look at these muffins from the outside once they’re baked. Which is one of the things I love about making them for other people — a real surprise!

The bittersweet tang of the marmalade plays perfectly against the buttery almond flavor of the muffins, and while these probably don’t serve as a particularly balanced nutritional breakfast, they make a delightful afternoon snack, especially with a warm cup of tea.

The best part about making them on the spur of the moment is that I usually have all of the ingredients already on hand — no trip to the store is necessary. The new neighbors must have liked them — they invited us over for drinks the next week!

Marmalade Muffins

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 t. almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds
About a half cup orange marmalade

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and melted butter. Whisk in the eggs, and then stir in the almond extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet all at once, folding until well-combined, but being careful not to overmix.

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Fill the cups half-full with the batter. Top the batter with about a teaspoonful of marmalade. Fill the cups the rest of the way full and sprinkle with the sliced almonds.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly brown. Cool before serving; the marmalade inside will be very hot!

–adapted from Muffins A-Z by Marie Simmons

Muffins are a wonderful lazy morning food, I think. You can throw them together without too much effort or thought, enjoy a nice cup of coffee while they bake, and then leisurely nibble one or two or three as the morning turns to noon, drinking more coffee all the while. And once you’ve made a dozen, then you have a quick on-the-go breakfast for those not-so-lazy mornings that unfortunately have become more the norm around here.

Heavy with carrot, coconut, and chunks of apples, these muffins are packed with more nutrients than most, making them fair game for ARF/5-a-Day Tuesdays over at Sweetnicks. They are dense, moist, and laced with the spicy kick of cinnamon. Grating the carrots takes some time by hand, but a whirl in the food processor will also do the trick. Other than that step, they come together pretty quickly, leaving plenty of time for you to enjoy your morning.

Carrot, Coconut, and Apple Muffins

2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar plus extra for sprinkling
2 t. baking soda
1/2 T. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and grated (about 4 large carrots)
1 apple, small-diced
1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
3 large eggs
1 T. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the grated carrots, diced apples, and the coconut; stir to blend.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the butter, oil, and eggs. Stir in the vanilla, and then add the wet ingredients to the dry all at once. Fold until just combined.

Spoon the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with sugar, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Note to faithful readers: Sorry for the sporadic posting; I had such grand illusions about my month-long break from school and how much fabulous food I would make and post about. There has certainly been no shortage of food creation, but I’ve been so busy enjoying sharing it with friends and family that I’ve neglected the documentation part of the process. Now that I’m back in a regular routine–summer school started today–I hope to post more regularly as well.

Another sort of technical note: Alanna brought it to my attention that my RSS feed has been acting up. Apparently, there are two Weekly Dish feeds, pre- and post-Wordpress. If you are a subscriber to the feed and your reader hasn’t updated in quite some time, would you be so kind as to drop a comment and let me know? I’d be oh so grateful.

When I got married, one of the most thoughtful gifts I received was from a family friend with whom I happened to be working at the time. During our time as co-workers, Beth apparently noticed my insatiable passion for muffins, and for my office shower, she brought me a very cute basket, packed with a muffin tin, brightly colored dish cloths, and a little cookbook called Muffins, A to Z. Today, the cloths are faded and worn, and I’ve made almost every muffin recipe in the book. Every time I mix up a new batch of batter, I can’t help but think about sweet Beth who paid such careful attention to my love of these small breakfast wonders.

I really love all kinds of muffins–sweet, savory, fruit, chocolate, light, dense–you name it, and I’ve tried it. I have some old favorites that I return to, of course, but I’m always on the lookout for new ideas. When my sweet friend Rorie of Milk & Honey posted a scone recipe using Meyer lemons and cranberries several weeks ago, I knew I wanted to hi-jack that flavor combination for muffins.

The lemon flavor is clean and light, not too overpowering, and the cranberries add a nice zip to every other bite. The texture is cake-like and moist, as I prefer my muffins, due to the combination of butter and buttermilk for the fat and liquid content.

Perfect for an end-of-winter Saturday morning. In fact, I think I’ll make them again tomorrow.

Lemon-Cranberry Muffins

NOTE: I tried these again with orange zest and juice substituted for the lemon and grated nutmeg for the almond extract with good results!

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
Zest of 2 Meyer lemons, about 1 T.
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
6 T. butter
2 large eggs
1/4 t. almond extract
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon, about 1/4 cup
1 cup dried, fresh, or frozen cranberries (I used dried)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and grease your muffin pan. Combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Melt the butter and whisk together quickly with the buttermilk (it helps if the buttermilk is not ice cold); whisk in the eggs. Add the almond extract and lemon juice and stir to blend. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry by adding all at once, folding together until just blended (overmixing will make a tough muffin.) Fold in the cranberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

One of the reasons sweet potatoes are so useful for baking is because they can add moisture and creaminess to baked goods without adding significantly to the fat content. I love to make muffins, and this recipe is one of my favorites. The cake portion of the muffin is light, fluffy, and not too sweet, and the sugared nut topping adds just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. If you want a really decadent breakfast or teatime treat, they are really good spread with some maple butter (1/2 stick butter whipped with 1/4 cup maple syrup). I like them all by themselves too.

These muffins would be great to take with you if you’re traveling to stay overnight with family or friends. The basis for this recipe comes from Marie Simmons’ little book, Muffins from A to Z.

Sweet Potato Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup brown sugar + 2 T.

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed (about 1 medium potato)

1/4 cup maple syrup + 1 T.

1 1/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup melted butter

2 eggs

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease your muffin tin and set aside. Mix the dry ingredients–flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt–in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the sweet potato, syrup, buttermilk, and butter, whisking until well combined. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones, mixing until just combined. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. For the topping, stir together 1/4 cup of chopped pecans, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the muffins. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops are brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

I love breakfast food. Unfortunately, I am not naturally much of a morning person. So, often when I want eggs and muffins, I have to have them at night, instead of in the morning. My mom used to fix omelets and blueberry muffins for dinner, and so serving traditional breakfast foods when it’s dark outside reminds me of her. She is much better at flipping omelets and getting them to look pretty than I am; my omelets always end up looking a lot like scrambled eggs with other stuff in them. So, to use up leftovers, I like to make frittatas instead. No flipping, and finishing it under the broiler gives the cheese on top a bubbly brown texture that I really like. This one, inspired by my leftover spinach stuffing from the stuffed tomatoes last week, is quick and easy. You can make a frittata with just about anything. The basic recipe is: sauté some vegetables in a heavy oven-proof skillet, top with beaten eggs and cheese, cook until the eggs begin to set around the edges, top with more cheese, and finish under the broiler. The muffins I made to go with the frittata are sweet and crumbly, as good muffins should be. I made them with sugary, crunchy Asian pears from Miller Farms at the Red Stick Market. The frittata cooks quickly, so I prepare the muffins first, and use the time while the muffins are cooking to chop the vegetables and beat the eggs for the frittata.

Pear-Streusel Muffins

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 T. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

½ t. allspice

2 large eggs

½ stick butter, melted

1 cup buttermilk

1 ½ cups chopped pear

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat together the eggs, butter, and buttermilk. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry; stir until just combined. Add the chopped pears and stir to distribute evenly. Spoon the batter into a greased muffin tin.

For topping:

1 cup chopped walnuts; reserve half to sprinkle on the tops

4 T. flour

4 T. brown sugar

½ stick butter, softened

½ t. cinnamon

Mix all together with your hands until it forms a paste. Top the muffin batter with the streusel topping, and then sprinkle on the reserved walnuts. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the topping is brown and crumbly.

While the muffins are cooking, you can prep your vegetables and get everything ready for the frittata. When the muffins are done, turn the broiler on to preheat.

Spinach-Mushroom Frittata

1 clove garlic, minced

½ yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2-3 T. leftover spinach filling (optional)

1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped

4 eggs

½ cup milk

½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup mild grated cheese of your choice (I used Swiss)

Sauté the garlic, onion, and mushrooms over medium-high heat in an oven-proof skillet (I use a cast-iron one) until tender, about 6 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure garlic doesn’t burn. Add the spinach filling and stir to coat the vegetables; cook another minute or two. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add the spinach leaves, cooking until wilted. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, milk, and feta cheese together; pour over mushrooms and spinach. Salt and pepper well, but don’t stir. Let the eggs cook slowly until the edges begin to set, about 12-15 minutes. Grate cheese on top, and finish under the broiler; watch carefully, as it only takes a minute or two.

One of the great things about this meal is that leftovers can be enjoyed both in the morning and at night! I like to have the muffins with my afternoon coffee, as well.