Tag: baking

Fully Loaded Double Dark Chocolate Muffins

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I have to share this recipe because these muffins are amazing! I am not known for scratch baking and this is no exception; as a base I used Kodiak Cakes brand Double Dark Chocolate flap jack/waffle mix. I get it at my local food store and have also found it at Target. The mix alone is protein fortified and made with whole grains. I follow the muffin recipe on the box and then add some other stuff to kick it up a notch! These fully loaded muffins are great morning, noon and night; as a start to your day, an afternoon pick me up or as a semi-sweet and healthy finish! And the best part is… they’re good for you! Enjoy!!

Ingredients: Makes 12 muffins

  • 2 cups Kodiak Cakes Double Dark chocolate mix
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 very ripe bananas
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate mini chips
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 2 tbsp ground flax seed

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12 count muffin tin with papers or grease generously with cooking spray.
  2. Combine the baking mix, brown sugar, bananas, milk, butter and egg. Mix well using a whisk or wooden spoon.
  3. Fold in the chips, nuts, coconut and seeds.
  4. Divide the batter evenly among the lined muffin tin.
  5. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  6. After they cool, store in an air tight container for up to 5 days (if they last that long)!

Sorta Light Pumpkin Muffins

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Inevitably, as the weather changes and the air cools, so do my cravings and my habits in the kitchen. Not only do I yearn for soups and stews, roasts and gravies; I also want to bake things! Now I’ve said this before, I am much better at cooking than I am at baking, primarily because I hate to measure. Baking is a science and if you don’t measure properly your muffins/pastries/cakes/cookies simply don’t turn out right! With cooking (you need to measure of course) I feel like there’s a little more wiggle room and the opportunity to go off script. Bottom line; not staying the course when baking can be disastrous if you’re not mindful to the changes/chances you’re taking!

I originally found this recipe for Pumpkin Maple Loaf in Cooking Light magazine and it intrigued me because the author found a way to take a classic fall favorite and lighten it up a bit! But by sheer stubbornness I needed to find a way to make it my own and go off script! First, I decided to make muffins with the batter versus a loaf. Second, I didn’t have access to dark maple syrup or dark brown sugar so I used grade A syrup as well as a brown sugar/stevia blend as substitutes. Lastly, the original recipe called for roasted pepitas to top the loaf; I know it defeats some of the purpose of “cooking light” but, I decided to mix in chopped pecans and white chocolate chips instead! Regardless, these somewhat lightened-up, twist on pumpkin loaf-style muffins are the bomb!! Enjoy:)

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Ingredients: Makes 12 muffins

  • cooking spray
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup real maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar/stevia blend
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with papers and lightly spray with cooking spray.
  2. Combine buttermilk and oats, let sit 15 minutes.
  3. Whisk together pumpkin, syrup, oil, sugar, extract and eggs and set aside.
  4. In a separate bowl mix together flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  5. Add the oats and buttermilk to the pumpkin mixture and stir. Then add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and combine.
  6. Gently fold the pecans and chips into the batter.
  7. Divide batter among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20 – 22 minutes.

*Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, Lighten Up Pumpkin Bread