Cinnamon Apple Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tbsp for coating apples 
• 2 apples, peeled and diced
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus a pinch for coating apples 
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

For the Topping:

• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F.

Line muffin/cupcake tin with liners. 

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, coat diced apples with flour and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar with mixer. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla.

Add in flour mixture, a 1/4 cup at a time, alternating with milk, until fully incorporated.

Fold in diced apples.  

Scoop mixture into lined muffin/cupcake tins.  Each liner can be filled up to 3/4 full.

Bake for about 25 -30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

Allow muffins to cool from the oven once done.

Cinnamon apple muffins

TOPPING:  Melt butter.  Mix together sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside.

Brush each muffin with butter then coat with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Done!

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

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Caramel Apples with Vanilla Pancakes

Perfect snowy day breakfast..pancakes with caramel apples!

Caramel Apples (4 servings)
2 apples (honeycrisp if you have them!) washed, peeled and cut into large cubes.
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp Sugar in the Raw
1 pinch of sea salt

Heat butter on medium heat in a small nonstick pan (ceramic shown here)

Once it starts to melt a touch, add in the Sugar in the Raw (conventional sugar works too, I just like Raw)

The butter and sugar will start to boil, so that is when you turn the heat to low and add in the apples. Fold the apples in, add salt, and keep folding. Do not stir or flip the caramel around..for the caramel is SUPER hot and can burn you pretty badly.

Let stew on low for 30 minutes, folding occassionally. And done! Served on top or on the side of pancakes ..yum! Breakfast of Champs! 😉 (we made valentine pancakes, but my heart kept turning into Mickey heads…so I just made Disney shapes!)…this is also a child sized plate! 

Pancakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons Sugar in the Raw
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Sift the flour in a large bowl.
Add in the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
In another bowl, lightly whisk the eggs then add the milk. Whisk in the canola oil.
Quickly stir in the flour mix and add in the vanilla.
Do not overwork the batter.
Heat a griddle or a large skillet, over medium-high heat.
Brush with butter or oil.
Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour out the batter onto the pan.
When bubbles start to break through at the top, flip and cook until they are brown on the other side.
Serve right away.

Vanilla Waffles

Vanilla Waffles
2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tbsp vanilla extract)
2 large eggs
4 tsp banking powder
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Need: vegetable oil spray

Heat waffle iron.

In a medium bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.

Ingredients!

In another mixing bowl, beat the two eggs until fluffy.

Beat the eggs till fluffy

Then add in the dry ingredient mixture slowly, while adding in the milk and oil.

Once incorporated into batter, add in the vanilla bean paste and mix well.

Batter is done!

Now the waffle iron.  Before placing batter on the iron,  spray vegetable oil on the heated iron well.

Pour in about 2/3 cup of batter at the center of the iron.

Start pouring batter in the center of the heated waffle iron.

Close the lid, and let cook until the steam stops/the machine’s indicator light comes on. About 5 minutes. Continue till you are done with the batter.

DONE!

My family likes to eat them together, so my little tip to keep them warm is to have the oven or toaster oven preheated to 300.  Then as you make the waffles, slide them into the heated oven to keep them crisp- right on the rack.  We also make triple batches of this to freeze, so our girls can have Mom’s waffles any time.

Enjoy!

xxooxox

The Perfect French Toast..and Easy!

French Toast
1 cup of skim milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tspn ground nutmeg
1/4 tspn vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

7-8 large pieces of day old seedless Italian bread, like scali. Fresh bread will rip when moistened with mixture, so day old or stale bread is the best.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil.

1 cup of milk

2 Eggs

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tspn ground nutmeg

1/4 tspn vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Whisk together

In a large bowl whisk all the ingredients.

Take a slice of bread and dip it into the mixture, letting the mixture saturate the bread for a few seconds. Then place 2 slices at a time on the heated skillet and let cook for 4 minutes on each side, till golden brown.

Finished Dish! My kids love them cut into long strips to dip into their maple syrup. YUM!

Serve with 100% maple syrup and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Happy 2013 Everyone!

Before you delve into making these pancakes you should know that using whole wheat flour adds a different texture and flavor.  They are denser and actually a little bit sweeter.  My children love them, and I do as well since I can eat just one and feel full.

 

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2.5 tspns raw brown sugar (or 1 of regular white cane sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 tsp canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the flours, then add in the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a bowl.

In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients

In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the canola oil. Quickly stir in the flour mix and add in the vanilla. Do not overwork the batter.

Add in tbsp of Vanilla

Mix well

Heat a griddle or a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Brush with butter or oil. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour out the batter onto the pan. When bubbles start to break through at the top, flip and cook until they are brown on the other side.

My girls like their pancakes in shapes. Here is my #fail attempt at Mickey this day. 🙂

Serve right away.

OR I have been known to make a few at a time then placing them in our toaster oven set to 200F so everyone can eat their first set of pancakes at the same time hot.

If you want to store them for another day, which is what we do.  We make a double of the pancake batches and freeze for the week.  So, if you want to do this, allow to cool completely. Then place in plastic bags, many at a time, and place in a freezer.