Blender Muffins

Mel's Kitchen Cafe has really been hitting the mark during quarantine for healthy, delicious, easy snacks! These are super simple muffins that you blend everything up and pour it in the muffin tins. I love that she uses such basic ingredients too. We gobbled these right up!! The kids ALL loved them and so did Bronson and I. The recipes make 12.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA BLENDER MUFFINS {GLUTEN-FREE}

INGREDIENTS

•  2 ripe medium-size bananas (about 10 ounces)
•  1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream or Greek yogurt
•  2 large eggs **Conserving my eggs, I used 1 cup applesauce instead
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract **I ran out of vanilla, so I used almond extract
•  1/3 cup (2.5 ounces) honey (or granulated sugar) **I used 1/2 cup of honey
•  1/2 cup (1.5 ounces) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder (see note)
•  2 cups (7.5 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats **I only had quick oats, worked great
•  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1/2 to 1 cup (3 to 6 ounces) chocolate chips + more for sprinkling **These are so chocolatey, I just sprinkled some chocolate chips on top, but didn't mix any in

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners and lightly coat the liners with nonstick cooking spray (or omit the liners and grease the muffin tin).
2. Add the bananas, sour cream or yogurt, eggs, vanilla, honey, cocoa powder, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a blender. Process until well-blended, scraping down the sides of the blender if needed.
3. Add the chocolate chips to the blender and stir with a spoon or spatula.
4. Portion the batter evenly into the muffin cups, about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of each muffin (optional).
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the muffins spring back to the touch and are baked through (don't over bake or they might be dry!).

NOTES

Keep in mind you need certified GF oats to make these muffins 100% gluten-free (not all oats are gluten-free).

The full amount (1/2 cup) cocoa powder makes for a very chocolatey muffin. If you want to dial that down just a bit, use 1/3 cup cocoa powder instead.

Also, these muffins are just very lightly sweet (the ripeness of your bananas will help the sweetness factor along, too) which is how I like them for breakfast fare but if you like your quick breads a tad sweeter, increase the sugar/honey as needed.

QUICK BLENDER BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS {GLUTEN-FREE}

INGREDIENTS

•  2 ripe medium-size bananas, lightly mashed (about 1 cup/10 ounces)
•  1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream or Greek yogurt
•  2 large eggs **Used 1 cup applesauce
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract **Used 1/2tsp maple extract
•  1/3 cup (2.5 ounces) granulated sugar (can substitute honey) **Used 1/2 cup honey
•  2 1/4 cups (8 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats **Only had quick oats, worked great
•  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
• **I added 1 tsp cinnamon to give it more flavor and it was so tasty!!
•  1/2 cup (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips + more for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners and lightly coat the liners with nonstick cooking spray (or omit the liners and grease the muffin tin).
2. Add the bananas, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, sugar, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a blender or food processor (a blender will get the mixture slightly smoother). Process until well-blended.
3. Stir in the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the batter with a spoon or spatula.
4. Pour the batter evenly into the muffin cups; the tins will be fairly full. If you want a pop of chocolate on top, sprinkle a few chocolate chips on each muffin.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the muffins spring back to the touch and are baked through.

NOTES

Keep in mind if you are wanting to make these officially gluten-free, make sure the oats you are using are certified gluten-free (not all oats are). If you don't have a blender or food processor, check out Nicole's post for details about using oat flour in place of the old-fashioned oats.

Also, these muffins are just very lightly sweet (the ripeness of your bananas will help the sweetness factor along, too) which is how I like them for breakfast fare but if you like your quick breads a tad sweeter, increase the sugar/honey as needed.

I have not subbed quick oats in this recipe but you could certainly experiment.

Breakfast Overload

If you don't know, I LOVE breakfast food! I could eat breakfast for every meal. Part of that love, comes from my sweet tooth. I have had some recipes I've wanted to share for a while and just keep forgetting, so now you are getting them all together. 

First, remember that butterscotch syrup recipe I posted with the Aebleskivers? I make that in large batches now and haven't bought syrup in over a year to save on money and enjoy more flavor. I made one slight change for the large batches:

1-1/2 Cup sugar
1-1/2 cubes butter
3/4 Cups milk
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 Teaspoon maple extract - this adds a lot of flavor

Melt butter in pan, then add sugar, milk and baking soda. Cook 7mins stirring constantly and barely boiling. Take off heat and add vanilla and maple.

Next, Brons has become a bit of a breakfast chef and loves to surprise me with delicious breakfasts. He found this pancake recipe a few years ago and we have not made any other kind of pancake since. He found this recipe on Allrecipes.com.

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons while sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons melted butter
*I add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
 
1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk and vanilla and almond extract. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

**You will definitely want to double or triple this recipe. 1 batch makes about 10 pancakes.

Finally, this is my absolute favorite! Croissant French Toast. I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

8 croissants (rounder is better) - If they are large croissants, 4-6 or you will run out of batter.
1/4 cup half and half (heavy cream or whole milk works too)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinammon
5 large eggs

Split the croissants in half through the middle.

In a bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and eggs. Dunk each croissant half into the mixture so that it's fully coated. Set the pieces aside on a plate.

Heat a large nonstick skillet (I use my griddle) over low heat, then melt a small amount of butter in it. Add as many croissant halves as will fit, cut-side down, then increase the heat very slightly (don't go above medium low). Allow the pieces to cook on the first side for 3 to 4 minutes. Move them around to make sure they don't burn. When they're deep golden brown on the bottom, flip them to the other side and let them cook for another 2 minutes or so. Remove from the pan and cook the rest of the croissant halves.

She serves this with a blackberry syrup that is so tasty.

1 pint fresh blackberries

1 cup sugar (I use 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a saucepan, combine the blackberries, sugar and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes on low. Stir in the cornstarch, then continue cooking, using a whisk or spoon to mash the larger pieces of blackberries. Remove from the heat when it's nice and thick.

We eat our french toast with fresh whipped heavy cream, fresh berries, some of the blackberry syrup and my homemade maple syrup on top. Definitely, not something we have on a regular basis, but such a yummy indulgence for special occasions.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/croissant-french-toast.html?oc=linkback  

Sticky Buns

Here's the recipe for the breakfast we always had growing up on Christmas that I blogged about.

20-24 frozen Rhodes Rolls
1 box butterscotch pudding (NOT instant)
1/4 cup melted butter (I used a little more for added flavor)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Place the Rhodes Rolls in a well-greased bundt pan and pour the entire butterscotch pudding packet evenly over them. Mix the melted butter and brown sugar together and pour on top. Add the chopped nuts last spreading them evenly across everything else.

Cover with saran-wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, like Pam and let raise overnight or 8-9 hours. 

Remove saran-wrap after raising and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, covering with foil the final 10 minutes. Place a cookie sheet or foil beneath the pan in the oven as some of the mixture may fall out.

Enjoy!

Aebleskivers & Butterscotch Syrup

I thought about not posting this, because you have to have a special type of pan to make these. They're a Danish breakfast pastry. However, they are so delicious I wanted to post it. Melissa makes these at Christmas time and fills them with jelly. I don't fill mine, but make a butterscotch syrup that my roommate made with them in college. Even if you don't get the pan and make the Aebleskivers, the syrup is so delicious! 

This is what the pan looks like to make them....it's called an Aebleskiver Pan.
   
Aebleskivers 
2 Cups flour
1 Teasppon salt
1 Teasppon baking soda
2 Cups buttermilk
3 Eggs - separated

**I don't buy buttermilk for this, put 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar in with the 2 cups of whatever milk you have and it thickens and curdles it to act as buttermilk.    

Sift together or whisk the flour, salt and baking soda. Add buttermilk and egg yolks. Beat egg whites until light and fluffly, forming soft peaks. Gently fold egg whites into batter.

Heat Aebleskiver pan on medium heat (fyi, it gets really hot and so I end up turning it down to medium-low heat after it initially heats up, about 10mins) Grease each cup thoroughly with spray oil and fill 2/3 full with batter. Cook approximately 1 to 1-1/2mins (per side) until golden brown, flip using a toothpick. 

OPTIONAL: Fill each cup only 1/3 full with batter place a small amount of fruit or jelly in each cup and cover with an additional 1/3 batter.

OPTIONAL: Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter, it's delicious.

Makes about 35-40.

Butterscotch Syrup
1-1/2 Cup sugar
1-1/2 cubes butter
3/4 Cups milk
1 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter in pan, then add sugar, milk and baking soda. Cook 7mins stirring constantly and barely boiling. Take off heat and add vanila. 

We like to dip our aebleskivers in the syrup and eat with our fingers!

I half this recipe a lot because it makes so much, then we save whats leftover and use it on pancakes or french toast.         

Peach Cinnamon Syrup

Our favorite day to have the Elders over to eat is on Sundays since we always have breakfast for dinner. Anyway, last night we had them over and I made this syrup recipe that a friend gave me a while back. They LOVED it. I've always liked it and so do MOST of my kids (Emerson doesn't eat cooked fruit). Brooks said it was too sweet a while back so I had modified the recipe a little to the below. If you WANT it more sweet, you can always add more sugar. It also keeps well in the fridge for a while. It's just something fun to offer when you have a bunch of fruit syrups, fruit, whipped cream and stuff to put on pancakes/french toast/waffles.

1 large can of peaches (if you don't have a large can do 2 small ones)
1/3 c. sugar
2 T butter
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
dash of nutmeg
1 T cornstarch mixed w/ 2 T water

I like putting the peaches in the pan first and mashing them up a little bit. I don't like a WHOLE peach on my french toast.....so I mash them into little pieces. Then add everything else into the saucepan and put on med-med/high heat until it bubbles. Stir so it doesn't get stuck on the bottom, but you don't have to stir the whole time. It will thicken the longer you keep it on, so just keep it on until you like the consistency.
Note: I used 2 cans of peaches last night in LITE syrup. The original recipe caused for the good syrupy kind with full sugar. I've tasted both and don't notice much of a difference. I guess it's up to you.
Enjoy.

French Toast Bake

Ingredient
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
1 loaf Texas toast
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Directions
1. Melt butter in microwave & add brown sugar....stir till mixed.
2. Pour butter/sugar mix into bottom of 9 x 13 pan....spread around
3. Beat eggs, milk, & vanilla
4. Lay single layer of Texas Toast in pan
5. Spoon 1/2 of egg mixture on bread layer
6. Add 2nd layer of Texas Toast
7. Spoon on remaining egg mixture
8. Cover & chill in fridge overnight
9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar
11. Serve with warm maple syrup

I made this a couple weeks ago and the kids loved it. They keep asking me to make it, but I tell them it's kind of a once or twice a year recipe. It's pretty sweet, but edible. We've tried a couple others that were just too sweet to eat. I also love that you make it the night before, so it's easy to pop in the oven before school.
Taken from When the Dinner Bell Rings
http://whenthedinnerbellrings.blogspot.com/2012/04/french-toast-bake.html

Scones

Scones

This is actually Pat's recipe that Brooks remembers as a child. Not healthy because it's fried, but a family pleaser. It makes a TON so we usually make it whenever we have guests staying w/ us. We eat breakfast-for-dinner every Sunday night.

1qt. buttermilk (I use sour milk....1 T vinegar per every cup of milk)

2 T yeast

1/4 c. luke warm water

1/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 T oil

1.5 t. salt

3 t. baking powder

1/2 t. soda

8 c. flour

Heat milk until warm. Soften yeast in warm water. In large bowl put buttermilk, sugar, eggs, oil, salt, baking powder, and soda and 4 cups of flour.

Add yeast and beat until smooth. Add remaining 4 cups flour and let rise until double. Punch down and put in fridge overnight (covered).

Next morning, roll out on floured surface, cut and put in oil. (frying oil is ready when you splash water on it and it starts to bubble....takes about 20 minutes. I usually put it on med heat)

Then serve w/ her Honey butter recipe:

1 stick butter, melted

1/4 t vanilla

1 egg yolk

1 cup honey

Stir well.

We usually serve w/ fruit on the side or sausage or whatever. Super yummy....and fattening.