Pumpkin Caramel Monkey Bread Muffins

I just figured out what you should make for breakfast on Thanksgiving.  These little muffins were so good!  Before I moved to Iowa I had never heard of Monkey Bread before.  Now, I see it all over the place.  I saw a similar recipe to this from Pillsbury, and this is what I turned it into.  Monkey Bread Muffins, covered in a Pumpkin Caramel Sauce. 

I made these yesterday for my 6 year old, and he couldn’t stop saying how good they were.  At first he wasn’t excited.  He said he liked Cinnamon Roll Pancakes so much, why did I have to try something new?  Then he tried them…..”Mommy, you are such a good cooker!  How do you make so many things I love?  Now I won’t be able to decide what I want?”

These come together quickly, so you can get that Turkey cooking.  Why not wake up to wonderful pumpkin flavor, and have it all through the day!  I used 1 tube of biscuits, and it made 8 giant muffins.  You could easily double this recipe if you were feeding a crowd.  

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Enjoy the time with the ones that you love!!  See you again on Friday.  

Pumpkin Caramel Monkey Bread Muffins

Adapted from Pillsbury

Printable Recipe

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp all spice

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 tub Pillsbury Grand Flaky Biscuits

2/3 cup brown sugar

½ cup butter

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray, or use liners.

Open tube of biscuits, and separate.  Using a kitchen scissors cut each biscuit into quarters.  In a zip lock bag mix together sugar and spices.  Add 6 pieces of biscuit at a time into the sugar and shake to coat.  Remove and place 4 pieces (3 if you want normal sized muffins), into each muffin tin. 

In a sauce pan melt butter, brown sugar and pumpkin together.  Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, while stirring.  Reserve about ½ cup of the caramel sauce for later.  Pour the rest of the sauce over the muffins. 

Bake for 15 minutes for large muffins (probably closer to 12 minutes for smaller muffins).  Let cool for a couple minutes before removing from the pan.  Drizzle with the reserved caramel sauce.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

I was interviewed!!  I was so excited when I got an email from Correen asking if I was interested.  Are you kidding?!  You don't even need to ask!  Thanks to Liz for recommending me!  Check out my amazing answers on the Food Lovers Website!

It is no secret I like muffins.  It is no secret the entire world likes Peanut Butter and Chocolate.  I have already made a muffin that had Chocolate Base with Peanut Butter Chips.   Now I wanted to make a Peanut Butter Muffin with Chocolate Chips.  I just couldn't help it!  After I made the Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins from Connor's Cooking, this just seemed like the next natural progression.  Let me tell you, these were a winner!  I brought them to a friends house so we had treats to munch on while managing her garage sale.  They disappeared quickly, they were moist and delicious!


Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Printable Recipe

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Spray muffin pan with no stick spray.

Stir together flour, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Combine milk, eggs, sugar, peanut butter and oil in a separate bowl; combine ingredients until just moistened. Do not over beat.

Fill 18 muffin tins.  Top with a few extra chocolate chips.  Bake for 14 minutes.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

Chocolate and Peanut Butter is obviously a classic combination.  Usually you see it in desserts, but why not have it for breakfast?  I saw this recipe over at The Kitchenarian for her Muffin Monday series.  I knew I had to make them.  Muffins are always a hit here, chocolate and peanut butter is always a hit here, so I knew these muffins would be great.  And they were! 

Sorry for the lack of chit chat today.  I have a bad cold.  As luck would have it my 6 year old left today to spend 4 days with his Grandparents.  I had big plans for stuff to get done around the house, but so far nothing.  No energy.  Hoping this cold goes away FAST!!


Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins
Adapted slightly from The Kitchenarian
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups  flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tins, makes approx 18 muffins.

In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla.

In another large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Fold the egg mixture into the flour. Do not over mix the batter or you will have tough muffins.

Fill the muffin cups. Bake about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.

Blueberry Muffins

I like muffins.  If you are a normal reader, this comes as no surprise.  For our family reunion my family was in charge of doing breakfast on Sunday.  We planed Heuovos Rancheros, Fruit and Yogurt and Muffins.  I was in charge of bringing the muffins!  I brought quite a few different kinds, but this was a favorite.  Almost all of these were gone!  This was not a new recipe, my son LOVES these.  I use the base of this for my Chocolate Chip Muffins as well.  It is just moist and delicious!  So feel free to change it up any way you want! 

Blueberry Muffins
From Allrecipes
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. 

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture. 

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking. 

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Strawberry Muffins

I did it, I joined Twitter!  I haven't set up the link on my page yet, not exactly sure how to do that.  Hopefully this week I can figure it out.  Until then you can follow me at http://twitter.com/#!/Dinnersdishes

It is no secret that we are a muffin household here.  I just counted and I currently have 7 kinds in the freezer.  That is kind of embarrassing, but what can you do!  I think I just put my foot down and said we need to get rid of some before I make more.  As sad as that is, I need to clean out my freezer!  I made these last year when we had fresh strawberries, and they were delicious!  So I knew I was going to make them again this year for sure!

Strawberry Muffins
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes
Printable Recipes

1/4 cup Canola Oil
1/2 cup Milk
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 cup Sugar
1 3/4 cup Flour
1 cup chopped Strawberries

In a small bowl combine oil, milk, and egg.  Beat lightly.  In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.  Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour.  Pour in milk mixture and stir together.

Fill 12 muffin cups with batter.  Bake at 375 for 16 minutes.  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

As you all know by now, we love muffins!  Another thing my son absolutely loves in cinnamon.  I mean just about anything with cinnamon.  Cinnamon rolls, cinnamon toast, cinnamon bagels, cinnamon poptarts, I could go on.  So when I saw The Baker Chick made a Cinnamon Roll Muffin, I hit print immediately!  I knew, this would be a success!  And boy was it ever.  At first bite, my son said this was the best muffin EVER!  I had one too, and they were pretty darn good.  Reminiscent of Cinnabon from the mall food court, which was The Baker Chick's goal when she came up with this brilliant idea!  My Dad absolutely LOVES Cinnabon, so I am thinking I am going to have to make these for him.  I think he will be very impressed.  Oh yeah, they freeze well too!

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Adapted from The Baker Chick

Printable Recipe

1 cup Buttermilk (I used ½ buttermilk, ½ cup skim)

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla

1 egg

3 cups flour

Filling

2 Tbls Butter, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

2 -3 Tbls milk

½ tsp vanilla

In a bowl combine brown sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla and egg.  Add in the buttermilk.  I actually had some buttermilk leftover from when I made these.  But, I usually don’t have it around.  I would not hesitate to just use regular milk next time I make them.  Mix together with a fork.  Add the flour.  Stir until it is well combined.  Be careful not to over mix!

Turn the dough onto a floured surface, and knead for about a minute.  Roll the dough into a 12x24 inch rectangle. 

Spread the butter over the dough, and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon.

Roll the dough into a log, and stretch it slightly.  Cut into 2 inch pieces.  Put them  into a greased muffin tin.  Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.  

While they are baking you can put together the icing.  Add the milk slowly to the sugar.  Doesn’t really matter how much you use, just get it to the consistency you want.  Drizzle over the muffins!  

These were so gooey and delicious!  I recommend you make them right now!

This recipe is also posted on Sweet As Sugar Cookies

Oreo Muffins

My son loves muffins, if I haven't mentioned it before.  I think I have 5 different kinds in the freezer right now.  I make a batch, we eat them for breakfast, and they immediately go in the freezer.  Works great!  Then when he wants muffins again another day, he gets to pick what kind he wants.  I take one out, microwave it for 30 seconds, and he get a warm muffin for breakfast!  

I saw this recipe on Knead for Speed, and knew I just had to make it.  So when I had Oreo's left from making Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, I knew exactly how to use them up.  Because eating them straight out of the bag by the handful seemed like a bad idea.  As much as I wanted to, I had to resist! 

Oreo Muffins
Recipe from Knead for Speed
Printable Recipe

Muffins:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup skim milk
12 Oreos, coarsely crushed

Streusel:
2 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, diced
6 Oreos, finely crushed

Preheat oven to 385 degrees F.  Grease or line muffin tin with liners.

Prepare streusel first.  Stir together flour, sugar, and finely crushed Oreos in a small bowl.  Cut in butter until consistency becomes like coarse meal.  Refrigerate 10 minutes.



Whisk together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Set aside.



Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, stirring between additions.  Add vanilla.  Add flour all at once.  Mix on low speed for a few seconds, then add milk and continue mixing just until incorporated.  Fold in crushed oreos.




Divide batter between 10-12 muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full.  Evenly sprinkle Oreo streusel atop batter.



Bake 16-18 minutes, or until done.

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

Guess what?!?!?!  I am now a Featured Publisher with Foodbuzz (check it out on the right)!!  Super excited to start this journey, and see where it leads.

Now to the muffins....
In case you missed it, rhubarb season arrived a couple weeks ago, and everyone in the food blogging world has been posting recipes like crazy.  I am kind of late in the game here, but this is my requisite rhubarb recipe.  I did make it a week ago, but am just getting around to writing it.  I have very limited rhubarb experience, and am not sure how much I actually like it. I know, gasp!  I had a strawberry rhubarb pie years ago, but that had ice cream or whip cream and lots of strawberries, so not sure that is fair.  And I also made strawberry rhubarb jelly a few years ago, but that had tons of sugar and I think there was even jello in it.  So these muffins, that were really full of rhubarb, I am not sure what to think.  Very tart.  I did give them to someone who likes rhubarb, and she said they were great - so makes me wonder about my taste for rhubarb. 

I don't know where this recipe came from.  I printed it a LONG time ago, but it doesn't have a site, or name on it. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
Printable Recipe

1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup minced rhubarb
1/2 cup sliced strawberries

Topping
3 Tbls brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine egg, milk, oil, vanilla, and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Add flour, sugar, baking powder.  Mix.

 

Fold in the strawberry and rhubarb.  Fill greased or lined muffin tins.



Sprinkle the topping over each muffin.  Ok - you will see that I have a strawberry on top of each muffin.  The recipe called for this - leave it off!  I repeat - LEAVE IT OFF!!!  It looks pretty, but it is just a soggy mess.  You could put one on after they bake for serving, but baking a whole strawberry just leaves is mushy and kind of gross. 



Bake at 400 degrees for about 16 minutes.  Enjoy!

This recipe is linked to Taking Time for Mommy

Muffins!

I am just so excited to have started a blog, I want to be in the kitchen all day! Today I couldn't help myself, I made a batch of muffins. I promise, not everything I post will be sweet, but what else can I make when no one else is home! Proof - tonight I am making Asian Turkey Burgers for dinner, so stay tuned!

I have a mild obsession with muffins. I currently have 4 types in the freezer. They are the perfect freezer staple! Put them in a ziploc bag, and they last for months. Take out one for breakfast and microwave for 30 seconds! Perfect for a busy morning before school. These muffins are a huge hit in our house. Even my husband who doesn't like muffins eats these. I have struggled to find a good muffin recipe for years. I finally found one that rivals the best bakery muffin out there.

Amazing Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin pan with liners, or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. In a liquid measuring cup measure 1/3 cup of oil, then add the egg and enough milk to fill to the 1 cup mark.


I like to mix in the chocolate chips with the flour, before I add the liquids. I think this helps the chocolate chips not sink to the bottom. Mix in the liquids, and stir until just combined. Over mixing can cause your muffins to not come out like you want them to. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. I like to top with a few extra chocolate chips.....just because they taste good!


Bake for about 15 minutes. Check them often - these bake fast! When your house starts to smell really good, they are probably done.


I put them on a plate or a cooling rack and let them come to room temperature before I put them in the freezer. But eating one right away with the gooey, melty chocolate is a must!