Blueberry Crumb Muffins

These are some of the best muffins ever! I hope you will try them out.

Flavorless vegetable oil spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup milk
2 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Crumb topping:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (next time I think I will cut the amount of flour down to 3/4 cup to make it more crisp and sugary)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Spray 12-cup muffin tin with flavorless oil spray or line with paper liners (I actually got about 15 muffins out of the recipe). In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk well. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and set on medium-high speed, beat the butter and granulated sugar for 4 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until the egg is incorporated before adding the next one, and then beat in the vanilla.

Add the milk, alternating it with the dry ingredients, in 2 or 3 additions. Do not overmix. Fold in the berries using a spatula. To make the crumb topping, combine the butter, sugars, cinnamon, salt and flour and mix with a fork or pastry blender until crumbly.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Top each with a generous tablespoon of the crumb topping. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Let the muffins cool slightly in the muffin tin set on wire racks before removing.

Makes 12-15 muffins.

Another yummy holiday recipe

Shortbread Mint Cookies!

For the shortbread:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the mint icing:
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon mint extract
4 tablespoons milk
For the glaze:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 ounces white chocolate

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1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside. In a mixer, cream the butter and confectioners sugar. Add vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture until well combined.
2. Chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using your choice of cookie cutter, cut the cookies and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for an additional 10 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
4. In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar, mint extract and milk until smooth. Add more milk or sugar, if needed, to make a frosting like consistency. Spread on cooled cookies and top with another cookie to make a sandwich. Chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, or until icing is set.
5. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a double broiler and stir until smooth. Dip the tops of the cookie sandwiches into the chocolate and let stand on the cooling rack. Set in the refrigerator to let the chocolate harden.

Recipe of the week

Since its the holidays I thought I would post a holiday recipe. I hope you will enjoy!

Orange Rolls
12 rhodes dinner rolls thawed but still cold
1 orange rind grated
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter melted
Mix orange rind with sugar. Roll each roll into a rope then tie in a loose knot. Roll each knot in melted butter then into the sugar mixture. Place on a sprayed baking sheet then cover with plastic wrap. Let them rise double the size then remove plastic and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and put on a cooling rack, brush with orange glaze.
Orange Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 T melted butter
3 T orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla

Holiday Treats

Since its the holidays i thought I would write some easy holiday treat ideas down for those of you that like something sweet. Or if you have to make something for a work party or neighbors :) I hope you will enjoy these...

Peanut Butter Cups

1 cup of peanut butter
1 square of butter soft
2 cups powder sugar
Mix together and roll into balls. Melt a bag of chocolate chips in the microwave. Take a small candy wrapper(basically a mini cupcake paper) and put a bit of chocolate in the bottom of the cup then put a ball on top and cover with more chocolate. Put them in the fridge to cool. I like to buy the festive wrappers to put them in.

Muddy Buddies

1 box of Crispix or Chex cereal
1 cube of butter
2 cups powder sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
1 paper bag
Melt the butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips and pour over the cereal. Mix well then put the powder sugar in the paper bag and add cereal mix. Shake until the cereal has been well coated store in ziplock bags.

Easy Reindeer Snacks

1/2 cup marshmellow creme
1/2 cup peanut butter
48 ritz crackers
nuts of your choice
1 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Spread peanut butter on 24 crackers and then on the other 24 spread the marshmellow creme. Sandwich the crackers together and set aside. Melt the chocolate and chop the nuts. Put the coconut and nuts in seperate bowls. Dip the cracker sandwiches in the chocolate and then in either nuts or coconut. You can use white chocolate if you want too. Set on wax paper till they set up then store in a air tight container.

Coconut Macaroons

2 2/3 cups coconut
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1/4 tsp almond extract
Combine ingredients and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut a brown paper bag to fit your baking sheet spray with pan spray. Drop by tsp and mash down a bit. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes.

Peanut clusters

1 bag of cocktail peanuts
small block of dipping chocolate
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. If you dont know what that is its a pan with water that you boil then set another pan or bowl on top to melt it down. Be careful of the steam if you use a bowl. Add your nuts to the chocolate and then scoop out spoonfuls and place on wax paper.

Chocolate covered pretzels

1 bag of pretzels
small block of chocolate
Its basically the same idea you just dip your pretzels a few at a time. You can also do white chocolate and I like to sprinkle mine with red and green sprinkles then but them in a bag and put ribbon around them.

Carmel Marshmellows

1 pkg of big marshmellows
1 bag of kraft carmels
1 can sweetened condensed milk
rice krispies
Melt the carmels and add the milk to it making sure its well mixed. Then dip the marshmellows in the carmel and roll them in rice krispies and put them on wax paper.

Chex Mix

1 family size box of Chex
2 cups coconut
2 cups peanuts
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups karo syrup
1 cube of butter
Cook sugar, karo, and butter in microwave for 5 minutes on high. Stir and cook 2 more minutes then add 1/4 tsp soda and 1 tsp vanilla. Put chex , coconut and nuts in a bowl then pour syrup over the top and mix well.

Recipe for the week

Here is a new recipe for the week that is really good!

Salsa Chicken Quesadillas

1/2 cup salsa
2 T miracle whip
1/2 tsp chili powder
8 flour tortillas
3 chicken breasts cooked and sliced
1 cup cheese

Mix salsa, miracle whip and chili powder together. Then spread on tortillas and layer the chicken and cheese on half of the tortilla. Fold tortillas in half and place on a sprayed skillet cooking 3 minutes on each side. Or until they are brown then take them off and cut them in wedges. Can serve them with more salsa.