pumpkin black bottomed muffins

These muffins make me so happy.   Fudgy chocolate muffins topped with pumpkin goodness just can't be beat.

One of my favorite fall recipes is a cream cheese based dip (perfect for ginger snaps or apple slices).  I love it sooo much, and I wanted to find other uses for it to spread the joy when I remembered how awesome classic black bottomed muffins are.  I switched out the plain cream cheese for my dip and I really love the result.  The orange color is such a cheerful addition to the muffins, but the real treat is the pumpkin and orange flavors added.  Seriously, I want to eat the whole batch.  Luckily I've got three built in taste testers at home to eat them all for me.

I even have a clean up crew for the kitchen (in the fall at least).  It's amazing how quickly you can get a kid to help you sweep the kitchen when they realize they have a perfect witch broom to ride on already in their hands.  I kid you not.  My kitchen floors have never been cleaned than they are today.

I could have eaten this entire batch of muffin batter raw.  It looked and tasted just like fudge.  *Insert drool here*.  If you already have a well-loved chocolate muffin recipe, feel free to use it.  Just swirl a spoonful of pumpkin dip on top and bake according to your regular directions.

Seriously though, doesn't this just look like truffle filling or fudge?

I used a small spoonful over each muffin because I didn't want the entire top covered in orange, but how much you use is really up to you, as long as you don't overfill your cups.

Note: the chocolate will bake quicker than the pumpkin dip, so if the pumpkin topping still looks a bit undercooked when the muffins have finished baking, don't fret.  They firm up nicely once they've set.

 I like they messy, natural style of the orange tops, but after I made these Jeff had a great idea if you crave more structure and theme.  Pipe a large circle of pumpkin topping onto the center of the muffins and bake.  Once they've baked and set, use black frosting with a small piping tip to draw a Jack o' lantern face into the center of the orange.  Cute!

Okay, these are just gratuitous muffin shots.  I just couldn't decide which ones to post, so I posted most of them...  :)

I've had this pumpkin dip recipe for ages, and I can't for the life of me remember where I found it.  Let me know if you know who created it so I can give credit.  I love it, but it's not mine.

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 14 oz. marshmallow creme
• 15 oz. pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp orange zest

Directions:

1. Whip the cream cheese using a stand or hand mixer for about 3 minutes, or until fluffy.
2. Add in the pumpkin puree and blend thoroughly.
3. Add in the marshmallow creme and blend thoroughly.
4. Add in the cinnamon and orange zest and mix until just combined.
5. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.  

uses: 

• dip for ginger snaps or apples
• top chocolate muffins just before baking
• spread between cake layers
• etc.

note: I LOVE orange, so sometimes I like to add an extra teaspoon of orange zest.

Chocolate Muffins

makes about 12

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups AP flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and line a muffin tin with wrappers.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa and baking powder.
3. Whisk in the boiling water.  Once smooth whisk in butter and vanilla.
4. Whisk in sugar, then whisk in the eggs one at a time
5. Whisk in the salt and flour and stir until smooth.  The batter should look like thin fudge.
6. Use a scoop to evenly distribute the batter into the muffin cups.
7. Spoon a small spoon of pumpkin dip over the tops of the muffins.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let sit on the counter for 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Note: make sure the toothpick is inserted into the chocolate and not the pumpkin, as the chocolate part cooks faster and is more accurate.

double chocolate fig muffins

Try as I might, I just can't do these muffins in photos.  It's always difficult to capture the true yumminess of something when the chocolate makes them so dark.  I love these muffins.  They are dark, chocolatey, and fruity.

Want to hear something even better?  They're chock full of protein!  Each muffin has about 6 grams of protein in it.  This muffins are healthy (yes, they're still full of chocolate), yummy, and filling.  They are also approved by everyone at our house.

There is a very slight protein after taste, so if you REALLY are against that, just use more flour, less protein powder.  It's an even substitution.

Double Chocolate Fig Muffins
makes about 16 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 cup vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 large figs, diced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease your muffin tin.  
2. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.  Set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer.  Add in the egg and vanilla and mix again.  Mix in the Greek yogurt, then slowly add in the dry ingredients while mixing on low.  Do not over-mix.  The batter should be fluffy and light.  Gently stir in the chocolate chips and the diced figs.
4. Evenly spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the muffin tin and let cool completely on a wire rack.

note: these muffins make a great healthy snack for kids.  If you want to make the recipe using mini muffins, bake for 16 minutes instead of 20.

cheesy omelet muffins

There is a story that goes with these muffins.  Yesterday morning the boys wanted breakfast, so Liam helped me make pancakes.  I made it the cheater way with Bisquick mix, sugar, an egg, and some milk.  I make pancake batter in a large measuring cup so I can measure, mix, and easily pour all in one cup.  We ate all the pancakes, cleaned everything up, and played for a while.  The boys were happy playing by themselves so I told them to keep playing and I'd go take a quick shower.

Shortly after I finished getting ready for the day I came out to find Jack quietly playing in Liam's room (as always), and I walked out to the kitchen to find... Liam cooking.

Liam had poured all our remaining Bisquick mix into a large clean measuring cup just like I had, taken the pancake recipe out and laid it on the counter for reference (even though he can't read yet), and put the empty Bisquick container back in the pantry.  Then he had taken out the sugar and scooped some out with a large wooden spoon just like I had before putting the container away (I know because he left out the sugary spoon).

When I walked out he was in the process of adding eggs.  Yes, EGGS.  My recipe used one egg.  Liam was halfway through cracking number six!  I was actually pretty impressed how tidy his work space was.  He only spilled a tiny bit of egg white on the counter, and I had only taught him how to crack an egg recently.  I'm really glad I came into the kitchen when I did, because he had five more eggs set out, ready to crack open!  He had literally emptied the egg carton form the fridge and put it back in empty.  When he saw me he perked up and announced, "I'm making pancakes!  We ate the other ones already so we need more!"  Then he hopped off his table to go grab the milk.  Happy and totally nonchalant about the whole thing.

I was gobsmacked.  I couldn't figure out first whether to take photos, be pissed about so many eggs getting wasted, or be impressed that he took initiative, that he's a great cook, or remembered perfectly how I made pancakes (minus the number of eggs used).

Okay, I was mad impressed, and thought he was adorable, but I still made it clear that I was annoyed at how many eggs he used.  He was so cute, and I HATE wasting food, so I tried to think of some way to save the egg-y batter.

Enter in the cheesy omelet muffins.  So named because when Jeff came home from work that night and tried one, that's what he said they tasted like.  I tried my best to scoop out the small amount of sugar in them, then added some milk and a handful of shredded cheese.  They bake really well, and turned into a perfect breakfast.  Jeff never has much time in the morning, so I like to have a speedy breakfast option available.  These can be pulled from the fridge and microwaved for a minute, then eaten in the car.  Perfect.  Sometimes culinary accidents make some interesting finds!

I told Liam he was getting to be a good cook and he replied, "Grandma says when I cook at her house I am a chef."  Sounds about right.

My batch made eleven, but I could have filled them each a little less and still had twelve good sized muffins.  Just don't fill them too high, because eggs puff up quite a bit when they cook.

perfect egg-y cheesy muffins.

Cheesy Omelet Muffins
makes about 12
bake time: 20-25 minutes

ingredients:

• 1 cup Bisquick mix
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• large handful of shredded cheese (cheddar or 3 cheese blend)
• pinch of black pepper

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray 12 muffin tin pan.
2. Mix all ingredients together well and pour into muffin tins. 
3. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on top.
4. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before removing.  Eat warm.
5. Refrigerate to store, microwave 1 minute to reheat.

manly muffins

Yes, these are my version of a manly muffin.  Jeff thought some of my muffin ideas were super girly (like strawberry basil, or anything containing lavender).  I know so many people are afraid of muffins, "Oh no!  The evil carbs!" but they make such an easy breakfast option!  Usually breakfasts for us are very speedy, or take place while driving to work so they need to be easy to eat one handed.

I do think the name says it all though.  What's manlier than corn muffins with bacon and cheddar?



Big on the bacon and cheese

Sorry about the lack of pictures, but really, all you missed is dumping everything together in a bowl and mixing thoroughly.

print recipe

manly muffins

by Liesl July-6-2014

bacon cheddar corn muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 3/4 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cumin
• 5 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add all ingredients except the cheddar and bacon into a large bowl and mix well. Fold in the cheddar and bacon. 2. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with PAM and divvy up with batter. Bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes up clean. Cool before removing from pan.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 12 muffins

parsnip muffins

It never fails.  When I first offer anyone a parsnip muffin they look at me like I'm crazy.  But really, these are fairly similar to carrot muffins, and those are viewed as normal.  Make up your own mind, but these are amazing.  Sweet, super moist, and so worth a try.

If you are one of those people who has no idea what a parsnip is, or where to find one (I'm finding that many people fit into this category) you should look in the produce section of any respectable grocery store.  They look like fat white carrots.

This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown's fantastic recipe here.  I changed the muffins into mini muffins, which I like better, because 3 minis have the same amount of batter as one full-sized muffin, but it feels like you get more bang for your buck, eating 3 whole (mini) muffins.  Make sense?

I like my silicone wrappers because they are cute, but they are totally unnecessary.  If you don't have silicone, skip the paper wrappers and use a PAM style spray instead.

I grate the nutmeg fresh, and it makes such a difference!  You don't have to, just a suggestion.

 ingredients:
1 3/4 C AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
3/4 C vanilla yogurt
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C sugar
1 1/4 C grated parsnips

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grate the parsnips and set aside.
2.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.  Whisk eggs, yogurt, oil,and sugar in a large bowl.  Add dry ingredients into large bowl.  Fold in parsnips.  Spoon into greased mini muffin tins, and bake for 15 minutes.

Makes almost 3 dozen.

skinny double chocolate chip muffins

This is not my recipe.  This is a courtesy announcement to tell you that if you have not made these muffins you are missing out.  These muffins are awesome.  They are totally amazing.  They taste like about a million calories, but as far as chocolate muffins go, they aren't truly terrible for you.  When I make this recipe I usually get a dozen regular sized muffins and about a dozen mini muffins.  One mini and a side of fruit is a great pick-me-up.  It fulfills my need for sugar without me going totally overboard.  Sweet.

Let me explain the mini muffins.  Anytime I have batter left after I prep the first dozen muffins I always use to make mini muffins?  Why minis?  They are the perfect size for kids, and the perfect snack size for grown-ups.  I like having the option of the two sizes.  It works for us.

Head over to Sally's Baking Addiction now and make these muffins.

Oh yeah, the recipe is great.  I just make one change, which is to use all whole wheat flour instead of half whole wheat and half AP flour.  They still turn out great.  Also, don't skip over the part where she tells you to spray the tins and not use muffin tins.  That is very important.

I'm still not great at taking food pictures yet, these are much yummier than the picture makes it look.  And wouldn't these be so pretty with a light dusting of powdered sugar on top?

future baker

This is my son Liam's way of telling me that he wants to make muffins.  I woke up one morning and he had already pulled out the muffin pan and was putting liners in it.  He is a muffin addict.  He makes a good guinea pig to try new flavors on!  He definitely has my sweet tooth though.  Once I asked him what flavor of muffins he wanted to help me make.  He responded hopefully, "cupcake muffins?"