Mother's Day Breakfast (Fruity Breakfast Muffins)

Two posts in one day. . on a roll! Here is once again a recipe so old that these muffins were another part to my mother's muffin basket for mother's day. This is also one of the many dozen recipes that I have stored away in my blog drafts because ironically it is the safest place to hide them far from the trash can or from being put into lost hands. However, it is just now being posted to the public because of my four month strike from Blogger. (In which I am deeply sorry to any readers out there who have missed reading up on my recent culinary creations.)

These fruity breakfast muffins are a top favorite amongst me, my friends, and my family. They are fresh with fruit, vibrant with lemons, and have the classic crunch from walnuts that balance off the moist flavorings from the banana. Of all the muffins in the muffin basket, the breakfast muffins were the first to go because they are that good and definitely hands down a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries, chopped
1 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1 lemon, zested
1/2 pint blueberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
LETS COOK!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, mix together strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar. Let sit 15 minutes until strawberries give off juices. In a small bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, 1 cup sugar, strawberries, and lemon zest. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in blueberries and walnuts. Scoop batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out with a few crumbs but not wet, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack to room temperature and enjoy!

Sticking With The Classics (Blueberry Muffins)

Okay so it has been what? Nearly four months since I have yet to post anything in this silly blog. Sounds like an insanely long time, but to me those four months have flown by as I denied the length in time and yes, sadly I will admit, have even at times denied my blog. It has just infuriated me to extremes such like denial of the entire process. Why? For one I have and forever will remain irritated at the fact that Google has ripped any earnings that I potentially had and could have made with their stupid Google Ads. And two, a virus has been roaming my posts which sends visitors to virus staked sites waiting to scam one of money. However I have grudgingly put all that aside because my sister's wonderful Bama friends have easily persuaded me that they have missed reading my blog, therefore here I am four months later and still blogging away.

With that said, I am finally, FINALLY sharing my mother's day recipes to the world wide web of bloggers and starting with my all time favorite muffin recipe; classic blueberry muffins. They are soft and moist on the inside, but have an outer, crunchy coating of sugar toasting on top. The classic muffins have yet to disappoint as they have been given as part of a mother's day muffin basket and shared amongst many of my closest friends. 

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh
coarse white sparkling sugar for garnish

LETS COOK! 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with papers, and grease the papers. in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand-held or stand mixer, until light, fluffy, and almost white in color. Start the mixer at low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, then gradually increase speed to medium-high until the desired color and texture are reached. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand-held or stand mixer, until light, fluffy, and almost white in color. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all the butter is incorporated, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until the batter is smooth. It will be thick. Fold in the berries by hand. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, using a heaping 1/4-cup for each. Bake the muffins for 18 to 24 minutes. Remove them from the oven and while still warm dip the tops into melted butter and then into sugar. Allow to cool and enjoy! 

For The Tennis Ladies (Blueberry Crumble Bars)

I often love to seek any and every excuse to bake up something sweet. I don't bake often, for when I do, I always find at least half of the baked goodness lingering around my kitchen weeks after. I am beginning to think expiration dates are much needed when baking anything in my kitchen that contains sugar, flour, and butter. However, I continue to find pleasure in the kitchen standing by an overheated oven for hours on end waiting for perfection to ring. Luckily today I knew I would be baking for a dozen tennis ladies, thus my blueberry crumble bars would not go to waste. My mother was attending a tennis ladies luncheon day thing and she was to bring a dish of any kind. Therefore, I jumped at the opportunity and eagerly agreed to make Smitten Kitchen's/AllRecipe's Blueberry Crumble Bars for her.

I believe I am often craving to bake because of the sensational aromas which are given off through out the house, and then the sweet, savory smell that lingers on into the morning. (Or until doors and windows are swung open to let loose of the beautiful lemon zest and blueberry juices.) There was no exception to my blueberry crumble bars. They not only turned out to look fabulous, but tasted just as good. The crumble on bottom and top reminded me of cookies that my grandmother and I bake during Christmas time, and the blueberries in between oozed all over as they popped and exploded in the oven. This is a wonderful dessert to give away for it is easy to cut and serve, but it also just as good to eat right at home warm over cold vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
LETS COOK!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Serve and enjoy!