Nectarine Buttermilk Muffins #MuffinMonday

These nectarine buttermilk muffins are tender and delicious. The ripe nectarines make these sweet enough without a lot of added sugar. They are so good!

In the UK, stone fruit is often sold with a label saying “ripen at home.” I shunned the peaches and nectarines for that very reason because in the States, when I pick up fruit in the supermarket and want it to smell like what it is! 

I finally had to get over that or I’d never get to enjoy a summer nectarine and I love them dearly. Like with avocados, the “ripen at home” fruit is a balancing act of leaving them be and then eating them all quickly. Or when they go a little too soft, baking them in muffins. Win-win. 

Nectarine Buttermilk Muffins

This recipe makes nine regular size muffins. I was super excited when I came across this pan in my mom’s house because it fits in my Ninja 9-in-1 oven. No need to turn the big oven on to bake! I use the bake setting so it takes just as long but the advantage is very little preheating time. These can also be baked in a normal oven, same temperature and time. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups or 190g flour

1/2 cup or 100g granulated sugar 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup or 110g chopped fresh nectarines, plus extra for topping, optional

1/3 cup or 80ml canola or other light, plus more for greasing pan (if not using paper muffin liners)

1/2 cup or 120ml buttermilk

2 large eggs, at room temperature

Optional for decoration: pearl sugar 

I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a 9-cup muffin pan with baking cups or grease the pan with a little oil. 

Cut part of a second nectarine into thin slices to use as topping/decoration. I used the nicest ones for the muffins and ate the rest.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the chopped nectarines and separate the pieces, coating them all with the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil and eggs. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold until just combined. 

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. 

Top each with a slice of nectarine and sprinkle on the pearl sugar, if using.

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

Set on a wire rack to cool. 

Enjoy!

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means it’s time for Muffin Monday! Check out the lovely muffins my friends are sharing:

• Blueberry-Topped Lemon Ricotta Muffins from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice 
• Cookies and Cream Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Half and Half Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Nectarine Buttermilk Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Roasted Rhubarb Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sourdough Banana Bread 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 Nectarine Buttermilk Muffins!

 .

Small Batch Cheddar Muffins #MuffinMonday

Perfect with soup or for a snack, these small batch cheddar muffins are tender and cheesy. The recipe makes only six but is easily doubled if you need 12. 

I’ve been baking mostly small batch muffins because it’s just me and my husband at home. We do have sweet neighbors we can share with but 12 muffins are still a lot. In the case of these muffins, however, I sorely miscalculated since I was planning to bring them to share with my mother, my sister and her twins. 

I really should have made 12! Six disappeared in no time and one of my dear nieces even said that she would love the recipe. So, Brontë, here it is! Muffins are the easiest bake ever and you can even bake these in the Ninja on the bake setting. Any questions, just let me know. (The rest of you can leave a comment if you have a question! Happy to help.)

Small Batch Cheddar Muffins

I’ve called these cheddar muffins because that is the cheese I had on hand but, really, any cheese of a similar texture would work beautifully in this recipe. 

Ingredients

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

3 1/2 oz or 100g grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 large egg

1/2 cup or 120ml milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for the muffin pan

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 6-cup muffin pan by brushing it inside with melted butter. Set aside.

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

Add the grated cheddar and gently toss with the flour mixture to coat the cheese.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and melted butter. 

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and fold until just combined.

Divide the batter into the cups of the buttered muffin pan. 

Bake in your preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Ideally, serve warm but these are also good at room temperature. 

Enjoy! 

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means it’s time for Muffin Monday! Check out the recipes my fellow bloggers are sharing below: 

• Buttermilk Crumb Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Magdalenas from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Small Batch Cheddar Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Zucchini Oat Muffins from Passion Kneaded

#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 Small Batch Cheddar Muffins! 

 .

Lobster Bruschetta

Lobster bruschetta is a wonderful appetizer with bright flavors from ripe tomatoes, fragrant basil, sharp garlic and, of course, succulent lobster. Treat your friends and family with this delicious finger food. 

Years ago, when our girls were young and we lived in a house with a pool, Sunday afternoons were devoted to swimming and lounging around. Mid-afternoon, I’d head to the kitchen to toast some baguette slices and stir up bruschetta as a snack. 

Our traditional bruschetta was very much like this lobster version, sans the lobster, of course. Tomatoes, basil and garlic combined with olive oil and vinegar – sometimes dark balsamic, sometimes white – create a flavorful mouthful that is more than the sum of its parts. 

Lobster Bruschetta

I made this recipe with the meat of one lobster and since I wasn’t serving many people, I kept the lobster bits pretty chunky. If you need to stretch it to serve more, you can add more tomatoes, garlic and basil and chop the lobster a little bit smaller. It will still be quite delicious. 

Ingredients

1 cooked lobster, about 1 1/2 lbs or 700g

2 ripe Roma tomatoes, almost 9 oz or 250g whole

Leaves from one sprig fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced, plus more to rub on toasted baguette

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon good quality olive oil

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

About 20 slices baguette, toasted

Method

Rub the toasted baguette slices with garlic and set aside. 

Remove the meat from the lobster and cut it in to small chunks. 

Cut the tomatoes in half. Cut out the hard core and remove the pulp and seeds. Dice them into small cubes.

Stack the basil leaves one on top the other and roll them up. Slice them thinly, a technique chefs call chiffonade. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, minced garlic, basil and sea salt along with the olive oil and vinegar. 

Add in the lobster and stir again.

Or if you are passing the lobster bruschetta around and it will get eaten quickly, you can top them all just when you are ready to serve. If you top the bread too early, it can get soggy and no one wants that. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes that would be perfect for a Spring brunch. Check out the links below. 

• Baked Garlic Cheese Grits from Palatable Pastime
• Breakfast Tarts from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Lobster Bruschetta from Food Lust People Love
• Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Stuffed Potato Masala Idli with Pumpkin Sambar from Sneha's Recipe
• Torijas with Honey Orange Syrup from A Day in the Life on the Farm

 

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 this Lobster Bruschetta! 

 .

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins #MuffinMonday

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are baked with cocoa and chocolate chips. Grated zucchini adds moisture and nutrition, not that you’ll notice it’s there flavorwise! 

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means we are celebrating Muffin Monday all day long. I had a zucchini in the fridge that was getting a little past its best and needed to be used, hence these chocolate zucchini muffins. 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

This recipe is for a small batch of just six muffins but it’s easily doubled if you need 12. Or even trebled. Muffins batter is very forgiving like that. 

Ingredients

1/2 medium zucchini or courgette (approx. weight 2 2/3 oz or 75g)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup or 95g flour

1/4 cup or 20g cocoa

1/4 cup or 50g white sugar

1/4 cup, packed, or 50g brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup or 50g semi-sweet chocolate chips plus a little extra for topping, if desired.

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 6-cup muffin tin by greasing it or lining it with muffin papers.

Grate the zucchini with the small holes of your grater and spread it around in a colander to drain.  Sprinkle with the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, sugars and baking powder. Mix in the chocolate chips and use your clean hands to separate any that are stuck together. 

In another smaller bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk and oil. Use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to squeeze moisture out of the grated zucchini. Add it to the wet ingredient bowl and whisk.

Pour your wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until they are just combined. There should be some dry flour still showing.

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Add a few more chocolate chips to the top, if desired.  

Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are puffed up and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Remove the muffins from the pan and cool further on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

As I mentioned above, it’s Muffin Monday! Make sure to check out all the links below to see the muffins my blogger friends are sharing. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for her behind the scenes help this month!

• Buttermilk Muffins with Whiskey-Soaked Raisins by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Cherry Vanilla Muffins by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Chocolate Zucchini Muffins by Food Lust People Love
• Churro Muffins by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pineapple Rice Krispie Muffins by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sourdough Raspberry Coconut Muffins by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Strawberry Sweetheart Streusel Muffins by Palatable Pastime
• Whole Wheat Thandai Muffins by Magical Ingredients

#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 Chocolate Zucchini Muffins!

.

Bacon Potato Silver Dollar Pancakes #BreadBakers

Bacon Potato Silver Dollar Pancakes are made with mashed potato, crispy bacon and green onions, stirred into pancake batter and cooked on a griddle until golden. These make an excellent breakfast or snack. So good!

 

Happy Valentine's Day! We don't really celebrate the holiday by doing anything special but we do like to open a good bottle of wine and enjoy a tasty meal at home. If you don't know what to serve your special someone, these silver dollar pancakes would be great as an appetizer topped with a slice of goat cheese and a sprinkle more of green onion.

Bacon Potato Silver Dollar Pancakes

I cheat for these and use the pre-cooked real bacon crumbles from Costco. I fry them a little bit more and drain on paper towels to get rid of more bacon fat. According to the interwebs, one half cup of bacon crumbles is the result of frying 8 slices of regular (not thick cut) bacon.

Ingredients for about 27 silver dollar pancakes

1/2 cup or 60g cooked smoked bacon, chopped in bits

1 cup or 125g flour

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Fresh black pepper

1/2 cup or 120ml sour cream

1/2 cup or 120ml milk

1 large egg

Rounded 3/4 cup or 200g leftover mashed potatoes 

1/4 oz or 7g green onions, plus more to serve, if desired

Method

Combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and a few generous grinds of fresh black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add in the crispy bacon and stir well.

Whisk the mashed potato, egg, sour cream and milk together in a smaller mixing bowl.  

Now fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the green onion tops and fold again.

Lightly grease your griddle by brushing it with a little oil or bacon fat.

Spoon batter onto the griddle to make 5-6 little pancakes. You could fit more on there but then they'd be a challenge to turn over. 

When they have browned on one side, turn them over with a spatula to brown on the other. This takes just a few minutes over a medium flame.

Remove to a plate and keep warm as you cook the rest of the pancake batter in similar batches. 

We ate these plain and they were delicious just like that but the goat’s cheese circles added a great punch of flavor, served with a glass of crisp rosé. 

Enjoy! 

It’s National Potato Lovers Month so my Bread Bakers are creating their recipes with the humble potato. Check them out in the links below. 

• Bacon Potato Silver Dollar Pancakes from Food Lust People Love
• Baked Vada Pav from Cook with Renu
• Feather Rolls from A Messy Kitchen
• Loaded Baked Potato Pizza from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Okinawan Sweet Potato Pani Popo from Magical Ingredients
• Potato Bread with Roasted Apples from What Smells So Good?
• Potato Crescent Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Potato Dinner Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sweet Potato Biscuits from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Turkish Stuffed Pogaca with Cheese & Potato from Sneha’s Recipe

#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 Bacon Potato Silver Dollar Pancakes!

.

Cheddar Chili Bean Muffins #MuffinMonday

Made with leftover chili con carne, these cheddar chili bean muffins are a wonderful savory bake, perfect alone or as an accompaniment to your meal.

When researching recipes for another post, I came across a dish I had never heard of called fritoque (pronounced free-toh-kay.) It was on the menu of a Mexican restaurant in San Antonio way back when, made with cooked beans, broken tortilla chips and cheese. One variation on the recipe was a substitution of chili con carne for the beans. 

I made the chili then I made a hybrid fritoque that was half beans and half chili. Then I ran out of time to edit the photos and create the post before the event deadline, so I’ll have to share it another day. It was really tasty! 

But meanwhile, I had leftovers of the chili-bean mixture and using it in muffins seemed like a great idea. I’ve made chili cheese dog muffins before and they were fabulous. This recipe is very similar but no weenies. 

Cheddar Chili Bean Muffins

If you don’t have leftover chili con carne, you can use canned but keep in mind that the moisture content of the canned chili may be higher so strain it somewhat if it’s really wet.

Ingredients

1 cup or 125g flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 oz or 57g extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra for topping, if desired

1 cup or 260g chili with beans

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

1 egg

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 6-cup muffin pan by brushing it with a little oil. 

Combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cheese in a large mixing bowl.

In another smaller bowl, whisk together your egg, oil and chili with beans.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stop when it’s still quite dry looking.

Divide your batter between the 6 muffin cups.

Sprinkle the tops with the extra cheese, if using.  

Bake for 20-25 minutes in your preheated oven or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan and then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

It’s Muffin Monday, our first of 2023! Check out all the great muffins my friends are sharing with you today. 

• Almond Flour Banana Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Apple Bran Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Bran Buds Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cheddar Chili Bean Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Cinnamon Crumb Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Dried Fig and Pineapple Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Persian Love Cake Muffins from Magical Ingredients
• Small-Batch Double Chocolate Banana Muffins from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

#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 Cheddar Chili Bean Muffins!

 .

Spiced Pear Muffins #MuffinMonday

These spiced pear muffins are light, fluffy and full of fall flavors. The aroma as they bake is wonderful and will make your whole house smell fabulous. 

If you’ve been reading along here for a while, you know that the last Monday of every month is Muffin Monday. I get together with a group of bakers and we share muffin recipes. 

This month, I brought these to the vet clinic that helps Lone Star Boxer Rescue and our partners Austin Boxer Rescue with our pups as a thank you for their service all year round. I also brought some homemade peanut brittle. We love them and couldn’t rescue the dogs we do without their help, so I wanted to bring them an extra special Christmas treat! 

Spiced Pear Muffins

If you don’t have sugar crystals or demerara sugar for the cinnamon sugar topping, you can substitute regular sugar. This recipe is adapted from one on A Baking Journey.

Ingredients

1 medium pear

1 2/3 cup or 200g flour

1/3 cup or 70g brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil

1/2 cup or 120g Greek yogurt

Cinnamon sugar topping (optional, but highly recommended)

1 1/2 tablespoons demerara sugar or sugar crystals

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease the pan well with oil.

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

Peel, core and cut the pear into small pieces. If you cut them too large, they tend to sink to the bottom of the muffin batter. 

Add the pears pieces to the flour mixture and stir to coat. 

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, canola and yogurt until smooth.

 

Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture.

Fold until just combined. 

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

For the cinnamon sugar topping, if using, mix together the sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. 

Sprinkle some of it over each muffin.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.  Place the muffins on a cooling rack. 

Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, it's Muffin Monday, the very last one of 2022! Many thanks to my fellow bakers. Please check out the recipes we are sharing below.

• Ham and Cheddar Corn Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Peppermint Mocha Muffins from Magical Ingredients
• Sourdough Hot Cocoa Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Spiced Pear Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#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 Spiced Pear Muffins!

 .