Happy October! October is my favorite month of the year for multiple reasons. First, it’s full of all kinds of fun dates, like my wedding anniversary, my birthday and Halloween (my second favorite holiday after Christmas). Second, especially for us New Englanders, the crisp weather and colorful foliage is seriously on point. Third, the weather has cooled off enough, but it’s not busy holiday season yet, which means time for making all the fall treats!

I was loving the Food Network Magazine’s concept for the October muffins – Apple Pumpkin Muffins. Pumpkin muffins are topped with some cinnamon spiced apples and a vanilla glaze. I have to be honest that these muffins were a bit of a letdown for me. I loved the apples and the texture was great, but it was missing one very important thing – pumpkin!

If I’m eating a pumpkin baked good I want it to immediately have a strong pumpkin taste, not a subtle, “I think this is pumpkin…” taste. I’m not surprised that the pumpkin flavor was so light since the recipe only uses half a cup of pumpkin. If I was to make these again I might try substituting an additional quarter cup of pumpkin puree for one of the eggs.

I might even use a different pumpkin muffin recipe entirely, but I would definitely keep the buttery cinnamon cooked apples on top. These apples would also be really good in last month’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins instead of the jelly since apples and peanut butter taste so well together. Case in point – these Peanut Butter Apple Bars. The Apple Pumpkin Muffins might be a good recipe to make for someone who isn’t a big pumpkin fan and won’t be offended by the lack of pumpkin punch because they still taste good, I just had extra high hopes.

Looking ahead into November and December I have to say that I am not thrilled with the Food Network Magazine’s muffin picks for those months. Since I’m underwhelmed by the recipes (and they call for some odd ingredients) I’ve decided that I am going to create my own perfect November and December muffins so stay tuned!

Apple Pumpkin Muffins

 

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Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

for the apple topping

• 1 granny smith apple
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

for the muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

for the glaze

• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

for the apple topping

1. Peel and core the apple. Cut into 12 wedges then chop each wedge into ½” pieces.
2. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the tablespoon of butter then add the apple pieces, sugar and pinch of cinnamon and salt. Cook until the apples are cooked and browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool while you make the muffin batter.

for the muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F then line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to combine.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, melted butter, milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and eggs. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined. Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared baking cups.
4. Bake the muffins for 2 minutes. Quickly and carefully, pull the muffins out of the oven and top each with some of the apple mixture, dividing among the baking cups. Return the muffins to the oven and bake for 20-22 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes then let them cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

for the glaze

1. Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more milk. Drizzle over the cooled muffins and let set for 10 minutes.

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 Recipe from January/February 2018 issue of Food Network Magazine.

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission for my referral. This does not affect the retail cost of the item. Thank you for supporting Lemon & Mocha!

Lauren Breakfast, Recipes 2 Comments

Thank you, Food Network Magazine, for bringing these outrageous Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins into our lives! As you know from last week’s Peanut Butter and Strawberry Wrap, I am a big peanut butter and jelly fan. When I first saw these listed as the September muffins for the Food Network Magazine’s Muffin of the Month article, I wasn’t sure how my beloved sandwich would translate into muffin form. The answer is very, very, VERY well! Yes, three ‘very’s and some all-caps because these muffins deserve it.

The base is a peanut butter muffin that is made with half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. If that wasn’t peanutty enough, the top of the muffin is dipped in melted peanut butter then coated in chopped honey-roasted peanuts. Pure peanut butter heaven.

As if they couldn’t get any better, a big dollop of strawberry jam, or your preferred jelly, is loaded into the middle of the muffin. I don’t know who the genius was at Food Network Magazine that developed this recipe, but it literally tastes like someone took a peanut butter and jelly sandwich – bread and all – and morphed it into a muffin for your breakfast and snacking pleasure.

The brown sugar and the honey-roasted peanuts allow for just the right amount of sweetness without them tipping over into the full-on dessert category. I think the combination of the flours really gives it that sandwich taste, in the best way possible.

If you don’t like jelly or jam you could always skip that part, but I will let you know that is what took the muffins to the next level of deliciousness for me. Everyone who tried these was a big fan and the recipe is definitely going in my make-again pile. If you like a classic PB&J you are going to go nuts for these muffins! See what I did there? 😄

Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins

 

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Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup whole wheat flour
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup honey-roasted peanuts, finely chopped
• 1 cup strawberry jelly or jam

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F then line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder and salt.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup of the peanut butter, milk, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla and eggs until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
4. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Fill them about ¾ of the way full. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are lightly browned. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
5. Once the muffins are cool, use a melon baller or a teaspoon to scoop out a small, shallow hole in the center of each muffin. Place the chopped peanuts on a small plate. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the remaining ⅔ cup of peanut butter until melted. Start with 20 seconds and then microwave in additional 10 second increments if needed. Dip the top of the muffin in the melted peanut butter, let the excess drip off, then dip into the chopped peanuts. Repeat with the rest of the muffins. Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of strawberry jelly or jam into the shallow hole in each muffin. Repeat for the remaining muffins then let set for 5 minutes before serving.

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Recipe from January/February 2018 issue of Food Network Magazine.

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission for my referral. This does not affect the retail cost of the item. Thank you for supporting Lemon & Mocha!

Lauren Breakfast, Recipes 2 Comments

I told you I would make it back to the July muffins in August! The Blueberry Nectarine Muffins were too good not to share early, but today we’re talking all about these Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Muffins the Food Network Magazine selected for the July muffins. I was really excited for these muffins because I know zucchini can help make baked goods extra moist, just like my Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread. I also love lemon desserts – Lemon Cookie Butter Cheesecake Parfaits or Lemon Curd Tart with Fresh Berries, anyone?

Especially after how amazing the August Blueberry Nectarine Muffins came out my expectations were very high for these Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Muffins. I can’t say they completely met my expectations. They were really great muffins, though. The grated zucchini and the buttermilk helped make them very moist. The sugary crackly top of the lemon-poppy seed sugar was on point.

Even still, I felt like they were missing a little something. The topping was full of lemon flavor, but I think the lemon flavor of the actual muffins was a bit more subdued and I prefer lemon to really punch my taste buds. Since it is more subtle, maybe these muffins would be more universally appealing in case someone isn’t obsessed with lemon. I think if my expectations weren’t so high I would have liked these muffins even more. I did, however, like them a lot better the second day after they had completely cooled and the flavors had a chance to meld than when I first tried them warm out of the oven.

I would still recommend them though because the flavor and the texture was good, although if you really want them to scream lemon I would experiment with adding some more zest or some lemon juice to the batter. You could even try adding lemon yogurt instead of the plain yogurt or buttermilk. I will definitely be giving them a second shot in the future with some added lemony goodness.

Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Muffins

 

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Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup buttermilk or plain yogurt (not Greek)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup packed grated zucchini (about 1 zucchini)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F then line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the lemon zest, sugar and poppy seeds. Measure out 3 tablespoons of the lemon-poppy seed sugar and set aside in a small bowl.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. In the medium bowl with the remaining lemon-poppy seed sugar, add the vegetable oil, buttermilk (or yogurt), vanilla and eggs. Whisk to combine then stir into the flour mixture until just combined. Mix in the grated zucchini.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Fill the liners about ¾ full then sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the 3 tablespoons of lemon-poppy seed sugar. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until the muffin edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

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Recipe from January/February 2018 issue of Food Network Magazine.

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission for my referral. This does not affect the retail cost of the item. Thank you for supporting Lemon & Mocha!

Lauren Breakfast, Recipes 0 Comments