Cranberry Spice Muffins

These are my favorite muffins. Soft, fluffy, a little spicy, and bursting with tart cranberries. They are so easy to make and infinitely adaptable. I give you the recipe for a really delicious spiced sugar topping, but it’s not in the pictures- but use it!

Ingredients: Cranberry Spice Muffins (adapted from here)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons toasted wheat germ

1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons orange zest

1 and 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup packed shredded apple

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped cranberries

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup boiling water

Spicy Sugar Topping

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Recipe: Cranberry Spice Muffins

Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup and level with a knife.

With a spoon, combine first 8 ingredients in a large bow.

Stir in oats, shredded apple, dried cranberries, and cranberries.

Make a well in the middle of mixture. Combine buttermilk, orange juice, oil, vanilla, and egg; add to the dry mixture, stirring just until moist.

Stir in boiling water. Let batter stand 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Spoon batter into a greased muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Spicy Sugar Topping

Mix together the sugar and spices.

Dip the muffins in the melted butter and then in the sugar.

Enjoy!

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is the best banana bread I’ve ever had. It’s soft, moist, stuffed full of chocolate chips, and had a perfect crunchy golden top. To make it even better, you don’t even have to use a mixer. This is the perfect thing to make when you have a bunch of brown bananas or some chocolate chips.

Ingredients: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 bananas, pureed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8 inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, mix together the sugar and butter.

Beat in the eggs and banana puree until just mixed together.

Gently fold in the dry ingredients.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Cherry Bread Pudding with Chocolate Sauce

If you like bread pudding, cherries, and chocolate you will love this. Soft warm cinnamon-y bread pudding filled with dried cherries and covered in homemade chocolate sauce. Absolutely delicious.

Ingredients: Bread Pudding (from here)

8 cups cubed day-old bread (I used Challah)

9 eggs

2 and 1/4 cups whole milk

1 and 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup dried cherries

Chocolate Sauce

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 tablespoon butter

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Recipe: Bread Pudding

Place bread cubes in a buttered 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, butter, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour evenly over bread and sprinkle on dried cherries.

Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting and pouring on chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Sauce

Melt together the cream and butter over medium-high heat, add the chocolate and mix until smooth. Let cool.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple Walnut Muffins

These muffins are a perfect transition into fall. They’re soft, cinnamon-y, fluffy, with chunks of apple and walnuts. Perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack. And don’t skimp on the cinnamon-sugar topping; it adds an extra splash of cinnamon and a delicious crisp top.

Ingredients: Cinnamon Apple Walnut Muffins (adapted from here)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons wheat germ

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup diced apples

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup boiling water

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (plus more to taste)

Apple Cinnamon Walnut Muffins

Grease a muffin tin.

Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, both sugars, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.

Mix in oats, diced apple, and walnuts.

Make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, and egg; add until dry mixture, stirring until just moist. Stir in boiling water.

Let batter stand for 15 minutes and preheat the oven to 375F.

Spoon batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes, or until muffins spring back when touched.

Let cool slightly before topping.

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

Dip muffins into butter and then cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Enjoy!