Carrot Cake Muffins #MuffinMonday

These carrot cake muffins taste like our favorite carrot cake but are much simpler to make; the batter is whisked together with the muffin method. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. No electric mixer necessary! 

Our younger daughter is visiting this month so since she won’t still be here when her big day rolls around, we are celebrating her birthday early. 

Her usual celebratory meal always includes a picanha (cap of the rump) roast and chicken hearts, both cooked over charcoal, black beans with smoked sausage, rice and molho which is a sort of pico de gallo.

And for dessert, she always asks for carrot cake! I’ve long wondered if I could convert our favorite carrot cake recipe to use the muffin method instead of the stand mixer. I am pleased to say, it works great.

Carrot Cake Muffins

The original cake recipe called for even more sugar to be beaten with the oil but for muffins, this amount was plenty sweet enough. This makes about 20 muffins.

Ingredients

16 oz or 450g carrots

2 cups or 250g flour

1 1/2 cups or 300g sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3 teaspoons cinnamon 

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup or 240ml light cooking oil (like canola or sunflower)

2 eggs, at room temperature

Method

Peel and cut the very ends off of your carrots. Cut them in small pieces. Cover them with water in a medium sized pot and cook until very fork tender.  

Drain the water off and mash them with a potato masher until there aren’t any lumps. Transfer the mashed carrots to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your muffin pans by greasing them or lining them with paper muffin cups.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. 

In another bowl, whisk together the mashed carrots, oil and eggs. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and whisk again until well combined. 

Divide the batter between the cups in your prepared muffin pans. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. 

Remove to a wire rack to cool. 

Enjoy! 

It’s the last Monday of the month which means it’s Muffin Monday, time for me and my fellow bakers to share our muffin recipes. Check them out below: 

• Carrot Cake Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Chocolate Ginger Bran Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Pecan Pie Muffins from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Ricotta Basil Muffins from Magical Ingredients
• Sourdough Doughnut Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Carrot Cake Muffins!

 .

Strawberry Jam Muffins #MuffinMonday

Sticky jam turns these strawberry jam muffins into the most delightful treat you’ll want to serve upside down, since the jam bakes on the bottom! 

This upside down muffin recipe happened purely by accident but OMG, it was a happy accident, perhaps not quite as important as the discovery of penicillin, post-it notes or Teflon, but definitely more delicious. 

I have to admit that at first I was horrified thinking that the muffin was raw on the bottom. Nope, it was just stuck to the pan a little because of the jam falling to the bottom of the muffin batter. A small jiggle all around with a spatula soon loosened it and that’s when I discovered how lovely they were. 

A good friend came by just after I’d baked them so I sent him on his way with one. He came back today to ask exactly what it was that I had given him because it was SO GOOD. "An upside down muffin!" I exclaimed. Personally, I ate two back-to-back. No kidding. 

Strawberry Jam Muffins (Small Batch)

This recipe makes six regular sized muffins but it is easily doubled to make 12. Make sure to grease your muffin pan well with some canola oil. I pour a little in one or two of the muffin cups then use a pastry brush to make sure the bottom and sides are coated.

Ingredients for six muffins

1 cup or 125g flour

2/3 cup or 132g golden caster sugar (sub regular sugar if you can't find the golden)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup or 120ml minus 1 tablespoon milk (*instructions below)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons or 45ml canola or other light oil, plus extra for oiling the pan

1 large egg

1/4 cup or 70g strawberry jam, plus a little extra for topping, if desired

*Put your lemon juice in a measuring vessel and then add milk up to the 1/2 cup or 120ml mark. Set aside.

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Generously grease cups and top of a 6-cup muffin pan or just 6 cups of a bigger muffin pan.

Whisk your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together your soured milk, oil and egg.

All at once, add the wet ingredients to the dry. 

Gently fold just until dry ingredients are moistened. There may be little bits of flour showing and that's just fine. Spoon the strawberry jam on to the batter.

Gently swirl it in. You want ribbons of jam, not a homogenous batter. Unless you personally want a homogeneous batter. I am not here to tell you how to live your life.

Divide your batter relatively evenly between the 6 greased muffin cups. Top with a little more jam on each one.

Bake the muffins for 22-27 minutes in your preheated oven, or until they are golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the muffins cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. 

Run a spatula around the sides and loosen the bottom to remove the muffins from the pan and put them onto the wire rack. I put mine top down so they flattened a bit. Still light and fluffy inside. And, oh, that glorious sticky bottom. 

Enjoy!

It's the last Monday of the month so that means it's time to celebrate Muffin Monday once again. Check out the lovely recipe links below:

• Cereal Milk Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheeseburger Mini Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Millet and Oat Pecan Muffins (GF) from A Messy Kitchen
• Savory Cottage Cheese Breakfast Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Strawberry Jam Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Sugar Free Sourdough Banana Apple Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Strawberry Jam Muffins!

 .

Fluffy Multigrain Pancakes #BreadBakers

Made with whole wheat flour, cornmeal and rolled oats, these fluffy multigrain pancakes are nutty and nutritious, as well as delicious.

A few months ago my doctor told me that my bloodwork numbers weren’t great, in fact, she diagnosed pre-diabetes. Which frankly didn’t sound so much like a diagnosis as a warning. Shape up or pay the consequences later! 

Recipes like these fluffy multigrain pancakes are my small attempt to do better but the amazing thing is that I actually like them more than normal all white flour pancakes. They have so much more flavor! Not surprising, really, since I’ve always loved whole grain bread more than white. 

Fluffy Multigrain Pancakes

This recipe made 16 (4 in or 10cm) pancakes. Any leftovers can be reheated in a normal toaster which makes them a great option for busy weekday mornings. This recipe is adapted one from New York Times Cooking.

Ingredients

1 cup or 120g whole wheat/ wholemeal flour

¾ cup or 94g all-purpose flour

½ cup or 85g cornmeal

¼ cup or 30g rolled oats

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 3/4 cups Greek yogurt 

1/2 cup or 120ml milk

3 large eggs

¼ cup or 60ml canola oil 

For greasing the pancake griddle: butter

For serving:

Butter

Your favorite syrup

Method

In a large bowl, mix together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt and milk. Whisk in the eggs and canola oil. 

Pour the yogurt/egg mixture into the flour mixture and fold well until fully incorporated.

Heat a griddle or large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. You can check to see if it’s hot by sprinkling a few drops of water on the surface. They should sizzle and evaporate immediately.

You'll notice that the batter starts to get fluffy in the bowl as the yogurt reacts with the baking powder and baking soda. When you scoop it out to make the pancakes, try not to knock the air out by stirring. This ensures that the pancakes are lovely and light. 

Add a little butter to the griddle and let it melt. Use a 1/3 cup measure to make pancakes with the batter, leaving enough room between them so you can turn the pancakes easily.  The batter is very thick so you may need to use the edge of the measuring cup to pat it out gently into a circle. 

Cook until about 2-3 minutes or until the last pancake added to the pan is browned on the bottom. Flip the first one first and so on, then cook the pancakes until they are golden on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Either transfer to a plate as they finish and serve immediately with syrup and more butter on top, if you like. Or, if everyone wants to eat together, fashion a large pouch out of foil and pop the pancakes in as they are done. Fold it closed to keep them warm until the next batch is ready. 

Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the griddle or pan as needed. 

We are syrup heathens from the south so we use the Pearl Milling (used to be Aunt Jemima) butter light syrup instead of real maple syrup. You can use your favorite syrup and I won’t judge. 

Enjoy! 

It’s the second Tuesday of the month so that means it’s time for my fellow Bread Bakers to share their creations. Our theme today is mixed grains bread! Many thanks to our host Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories. Check out the links below: 

• Aromatic Multigrain Bread with Coriander and Fennel from A Messy Kitchen
• Dhapate - Multigrain Flatbread from Sneha’s Recipe
• Easiest Multigrain sourdough Bread from Zesty South Indian kitchen
• Fluffy Multigrain Pancakes from Food Lust People Love
• Multi-Grain Dinner Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Roasted Potato Multigrain Bread from What Smells So Good?
• Spelt, Barley, and White Wheat Rustic Loaf from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Fluffy Multigrain Pancakes!

 .

Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins #MuffinMonday

Slightly spicy and oh so cheesy, these jalapeño cheddar muffins are fluffy inside with a little cheesy crunch on the outside. In short, they are delicious. Perfect for breakfast OR snack time. They are also a great accompaniment for soup!

Once again, I’m sharing a small batch recipe for Muffin Monday, the last Monday of the month. It makes just six normal sized muffins but I must confess that my husband and I each ate two, one after the other, as soon as I took the photos for this post. They are so good! Just double the ingredients if you need 12.

Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins

I used a English mature cheddar for the extra sharp cheddar in this recipe because it’s our favorite but I have to admit for prettier muffins, an orange-colored cheddar might make a nicer contrast with the green jalapeños on top. Does anyone know why we color our cheddar here in the States? I must research this but if you know, please tell me why! 

Ingredients for 6 muffins

1 fresh jalapeño

Drizzle olive or canola oil to grease 6-cup muffin pan

1 cup or 125g flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Few good grinds of fresh black pepper

4 oz or 112g extra sharp cheddar

1/3 cup or 78ml milk

3 tablespoons canola or other light oil

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (We prefer Lea & Perrins.)

1 egg

Method

Slice six thin rounds from your jalapeños to use for decoration, then mince the rest of them, discarding the seeds (if you want them less spicy) and stems. 

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease your 6-cup muffin pan liberally with canola or olive oil.  I don’t recommend using muffin liners when baking with cheese because the melty cheese makes the muffins hard to remove from the paper.

Grate your cheese. Put aside a small handful for topping the muffins. Whisk together your flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. 

Add the bigger pile of cheese to the flour bowl and stir to coat the cheese.

Now add the minced jalapeños and stir to coat again.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, Worcestershire sauce and egg. 

 

Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together until just mixed. 

This is a really stiff batter, almost a dough. But trust. When the muffins bake, all that cheese is going to melt and you will end up with lovely tender muffins.

Divide the batter evenly among the 6 muffin cups. Top each with some reserved cheese and a slice of jalapeño.

Bake in your preheated oven about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for a few minutes and then remove the muffins from the pan to cool completely.  

If, despite liberal greasing, your muffins still stick to the pan a little, just run a knife or silicone spatula around the outside of each muffin and they should pop free.

Enjoy!  

As I mentioned above, it’s Muffin Monday, our favorite day of the month! Check out the other recipes my blogger friends are sharing: 

• Banana Pineapple Muffins with Macadamia Nuts from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Ginger & Lemon Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Zucchini Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Sourdough Tangerine Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins!

 .

Mini Scones

These fluffy two-bite mini scones are a wonderful addition to your breakfast table. Serve them hot so that pat of butter will melt inside when you split them in two!

This recipe is based on one that a Scottish friend shared with me. She uses self-rising flour and cream to make hers a two-ingredient dough and didn’t have any measurements to offer! “Just add enough of each to make a proper scone dough,” said she. Challenge accepted! (In her defense, she went to culinary school so this stuff is second nature to her.)

Don’t panic though. I’m going to give you ingredient amounts so you can replicate these little mini scones. I used a 2 in or 5cm cookie cutter. You can use a bigger cookie cutter to make larger scones. You’ll just have to pat the dough out a little thicker so that they are proportional and bake them a little longer.

Gillian would appreciate this, she of no actual recipe: One time I didn’t have cream so I started making these with full fat Greek yogurt instead. I do love experimenting! It adds a lovely flavor and works fabulously. That is the recipe I'm sharing today.

Mini Scones

If you have self-rising flour you know is active, by all means, use it instead of the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, adding an extra 2 teaspoons of flour. I don’t often buy self-rising flour because I find it gets old if not used up in a timely manner. I keep the baking powder in the refrigerator so it’s always active well past its sell by date.

Ingredients 

1 cup or 245g full fat Greek yoghurt

1 3/4 cups or 218g flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

To brush on before baking: 2-3 tablespoons milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment or a silicone liner. 

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

Fold the yoghurt and flour mixture together until fully incorporated. If the mixture is too dry or too wet, add more flour or more yogurt accordingly. You are looking for a soft dough that isn’t too sticky.

Press the scone mixture flat until it’s about 1/2 in or 1cm thick, then use a small cookie cutter to make circles. 

Patch together the leftover dough, trying not to knead it much and pat it out again. 

Cut out more scones. Place them on the lined baking tray, almost touching. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops with a little milk. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the scones are risen, golden, and cooked through. 

I like to split them in two right when they come out of the oven and add a pat of butter. 

Or serve with jam and butter or cream while still warm.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes to celebrate National Hot Breakfast Month. We hope to inspire you to get in the kitchen and cook a hot breakfast for yourself or someone you love before February ends. Check out the links below: 

• An English Fry Up with a Kiss of California from Culinary Cam
• Chinese Steamed Eggs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Corned Beef Hash from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Leftover Veg and Paneer Paratha from Cook with Renu
• Mini Scones from Food Lust People Love
• Sausage and Spinach Breakfast Casserole from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Soft & Spongy Dosa With Urad Dal Flour from Sneha's Recipe
• Sweet Italian Sausage Quiche with Ricotta from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Mini Scones!

 .

Blueberry Banana Muffins (Small Batch) #MuffinMonday

Overripe banana and juicy frozen blueberries make these blueberry banana muffins some of the best I’ve ever baked. Small batch of six! Highly recommend! 

I never worried about getting rid of ripe bananas when my mom was around. Her attitude (and my maternal grandfather’s, for the matter) was that when it comes to bananas, the darker, the better. Sadly, after several months of declining health, Mom passed away three weeks ago. I am blessed to tell you that she was here at home with us and her transition was peaceful. 

After she died, I had one last black banana to use up so I made these muffins. She would have really liked them but I console myself that in heaven, there are probably all the muffins she wants. And all the super ripe bananas too. 

Banana Blueberry Muffins - Small Batch

This recipe makes six normal sized muffins. My husband declared them chock full of blueberries and so they are. We think that’s a good thing and I hope you agree. 

Ingredients

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil, plus extra for the pan

1 medium overripe banana (mine weighed 65g without peel)

1/3 cup, packed, or 66g brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup or 125g frozen blueberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Prepare your six-cup muffin pan by brushing it will a little canola oil. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, add the banana, oil and egg. Mash the banana with a fork. 

Then use the fork to mix the three together thoroughly. 

Add all but six of the frozen blueberries to the dry ingredient bowl and fold gently so they are covered with the dry ingredients. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl.   

Fold until well combined. Adding the frozen blueberries to the batter while they are still frozen means they don’t mush or fall apart while you fold them in. They do add moisture as they thaw while the muffins bake so don’t be worried that the batter is more like a dough as you spoon it into the muffin cups. 

Spoon the batter equally into the 6 muffin cups. Top each with a single reserved blueberry.

Bake for 5 minutes in your preheated oven then decrease the oven temperature to 350°F or 180°C WITHOUT opening the oven door, and bake for 15-18 minutes more until domed and set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with just a couple crumbs attached.

Let cool for a few minutes.

Enjoy!

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means it’s Muffin Monday time. Check out the muffins my fellow bloggers are sharing below.

• Banana Crumb Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Blueberry Banana Muffins (Small Batch) from Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Cranberry Corn Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Matcha Chocolate Chip Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Orange and Strawberry Whole Wheat Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sourdough Banana Carrot Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Blueberry Banana Muffins! 

 .

Classic Gingerbread Muffins #MuffinMonday

Cinnamon, ginger, cloves and molasses give these classic gingerbread muffins their traditional flavor. Tender and light, they make a perfect snack or breakfast.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! 

This month’s Muffin Monday snuck up on me! I was certain that there was one more Monday next week still in December. When I realized I was wrong, I knew immediately that I wanted to make gingerbread muffins. I love the wonderful aroma when gingerbread is baking. It smells like Christmas to me. 

Classic Gingerbread Muffins

This recipe makes 15 regular sized muffins. If you don't have a nine cup muffin pan, I suggest you use a 12-cup and a six cup. Simply add a half cup of water to the empty cups when baking to keep the heat distribution even. 

Ingredients

2 ½ cups or 313g all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup or 113g unsalted butter, softened

½ cup or 100g white sugar

1 large egg

1 cup or 240ml unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)

1 cup or 240ml hot water

Optional for serving: a sprinkle of icing sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Prepare 9-cup and 6-cup muffin pans by greasing them or lining them with paper muffin cups. 

Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a large bowl.

In another mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and whisk again. 

Whisk in the molasses until smooth and homogeneous.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold until almost completely combined. 

There may still be a little flour showing. Whisk in the hot water until smooth.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups in your prepared pans. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center of a muffin at 20 minutes; it should come out clean. If not, cook for a few additional minutes.

Allow the gingerbread muffins to cool before serving. 

Sprinkle with a little icing sugar, if desired, to serve.

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the last Muffin Monday for 2023! Check out the links below:

• Buttermilk Herb and Fontina Cheese Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Classic Gingerbread Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Honey Yogurt Muffins from Palatable Pastime

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Classic Gingerbread Muffins!

 .