Nutella Cupcakes

If you are looking for a delicious treat to bring to a holiday get together, this is a great alternative to cookies.  And it contains one of our favorite ingredients, Nutella Spread.

 

Nutella is a hazelnut and chocolate spread that has acquired a huge (and growing) league of fans.  My kids love this stuff!  So today we decided instead of cookies, we would try making a Nutella cupcake, and this recipe turned out great.  The cupcakes are moist and chocolatey, with the familiar hint of Nutella to accompany the chocolate.  The final touch was a drizzle glaze of melted dark chocolate that we made using Hershey's Dark Chocolate Morsels. These cupcakes are so good, but I must warn you, they are a bit addictive!  Enjoy!!

2 cups  Flour
2 1/2 tsp  Baking Powder
1/2 tsp  Salt
1/3 cup  Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups  Brown Sugar
1 tsp  Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup  Nutella Spread
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup  Milk
1/4 cup  Hershey's Dark Chocolate Morsels
1/4 tsp  Shortening (not butter or margarine)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare cupcake pans with 21 liners and set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream butter with 1 cup of brown sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Add Nutella and mix thoroughly.

Add the eggs and mix until combined, then add the remaining brown sugar and blend well. 

Add the flour mixture and milk, alternating in small amounts, beating well after each addition.

Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into each cupcake liner.  Bake cupcakes 25 - 30 minutes or until set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

To prepare the drizzle - In a microwave safe cup combine the dark chocolate pieces and the shortening and microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir and microwave for 10 seconds longer, if needed.  When the chocolate is smooth, drizzle over the cupcakes.

Banana-Macadamia Nut Muffins

These tasty muffins, with a tropics-inspired combination of bananas, macadamia nuts, and just a hint of rum, make a great afternoon snack or even a tasty breakfast.  For the final touch, the crumbly topping adds just the right amount of sweetness.  Even better, if you are expecting company, you can whip up a batch of these in less than an hour.

 

 

 

Macadamias are very nutritious nuts, so you'll actually be eating a snack that's good for you! These  nuts have the highest amount of beneficial monounsaturated fats of any variety of nuts, and are thought to lower your risk of heart disease.  In addition to that, they are just plain yummy.  Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups + 2 TB  All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 1/4 cups Mashed Ripe Bananas (about 3 large)
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup firmly Packed Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, melted
1/4 cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tsp Dark Rum
1 Large Egg
2 TB  Butter, melted
1 cup Unsalted Chopped Macadamia Nuts, divided
2 TB  Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 15 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine bananas, both sugars, butter, milk, vanilla, rum and egg. Mix into dry ingredients.

Fold in a 1/2 cup of the chopped macadamia nuts until blended, then divide batter among prepared muffin cups.

For topping, combine 2 TB butter, 1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts with 2 TB brown sugar.  Stir and sprinkle onto tops of muffins.

Bake until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack and cool.

Sweet Potato and Oatmeal Muffins

Yesterday we brought you a recipe for Mashed Sweet Potatoes and, if you have a little leftover sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving, save them for this yummy treat. The cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves give these muffins somewhat of a pumpkin pie flavor and the sweet potatoes make them ultra moist.

These muffins make a great breakfast and, with the crunchy-crumbly topping, your kids won't even realize they are eating something that is good for them.

1 cup  Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1 cup  Flour
1 tsp  Baking Powder
1/2 tsp  Baking Soda
1 tsp  Cinnamon
1/2 tsp  Nutmeg
1/2 tsp  Salt
1/8 tsp  Cloves
1 cup  Mashed Sweet Potatoes
3/4 cup  Light Brown Sugar
1/3 cup  Canola Oil
1/4 cup  Milk
1  Large Egg
1 tsp  Vanilla

Crumble Topping

1/4 cup  Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1/4 cup  Flour
1/4 cup  Light Brown Sugar
2 TB  Margarine, melted
1 tsp  Vanilla

Preheat oven to 400.  Lightly grease muffin tins, about 15, and set aside.

In a small bowl, prepare the crumble topping.  Stir until fully combined and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sweet potatoes, brown sugar, oil, milk, egg and vanilla;  stir well to combine.  Next add all of the dry ingredients and stir until moistened.  Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and sprinkle with crumble topping.  Bake 15 - 20 minutes.  Makes about 15 muffins.

Apple Crumble Muffins

This is a perfect recipe for the upcoming fall apple season. These muffins are tasty for breakfast but are also great for your kids lunchbox or as an after school snack.

With one apple and a few minutes of prep time, you can make delicious Apple Muffins that taste just like Apple Pie!

Cinnamon Crumble Topping
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup All Purpose Flour
2 TB Melted Butter
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Muffin Batter
3/4 cup Brown Sugar, Packed
1/4 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil (you can also substitute applesauce for lower fat content)
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup Milk
1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 large Apple, such as Red Delicious or Granny Smith

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the crumble topping ingredients together and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the milk, egg, vanilla, oil and sugar. In another bowl combine the dry ingredients, then add the dry ingredients to the milk/egg mixture, and blend together gently.

Next, dice the apples into very fine pieces. This will allow the apples to cook into the batter. Add the apples to the batter and stir gently until combined. Spoon into paper-lined or well-greased muffin cups, top each muffin with a teaspoonful of the cinnamon crumble mixture and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.   Makes about 12 muffins.