Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Banana Muffins

May 30, 2020 Muffin MamaLeave a comment

Do not despair, these muffins are another way to use up bananas that have gone to the dark side. Besides making these muffins soft and squishy, bananas bump up the nutritional factor of Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Banana Muffins. Peanut butter makes them more protein-dense, and Nutella adds that one-of-a-kind flavor. These beauties exit the oven perfectly domed, swirled, and once topped with Nutella drizzle, the muffins will disappear in minutes.

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Banana Muffins (makes 12)

4 overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup Nutella

*Optional: 1/4 cup Nutella to drizzle on top

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray muffin pan with non-stick baking spray.
2. With an electric mixer, beat together the bananas and peanut butter.
3. Mix in sugar, egg, and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
5. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until a batter forms.
6. Scoop out 1 cup of the batter and set aside.
7. To the big bowl of batter, mix in the Nutella until the batter is uniformly brown (be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all ingredients thoroughly).
8. Distribute brown batter into muffin cups evenly.
9. Add a dollop of the light brown batter set aside to each muffin cup, and swirl with a toothpick.
10. Bake for 20 minutes.
11. *Microwave Nutella for about 15 seconds and drizzle over muffins.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

May 14, 2020 Muffin MamaLeave a comment

Quick to throw together and bake, these Banana Blueberry Muffins are light, moist and ready to bring sunshine to any kind of quarantined-day-of-the-week. Their golden-brown tops crisp beautifully and are sure to wow your house guests/Zoom-onlookers.

Like most banana bread recipes, the use of overripe bananas is key. To that end, I usually buy too many bananas and let a few sit on the counter for a week or so. As bananas ripen, they become easier to mash and their sweetness intensifies. If you don’t have a week to spare, roasting them in the oven will create the same “overripe” results.

These muffins can be made in a pinch using just two mixing bowls, which is perfect for last-minute-baking when you don’t feel like hauling out the mixer.

Banana Blueberry Muffins (makes 12)

3 large ripe bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup blueberries
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray muffin tin with non-stick baking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas.
3. Add sugar and egg.
4. Add butter and blueberries.
5. In a separate mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
7. Use an ice cream scoop to distribute batter evenly into muffin cups.
8. Bake for 12 minutes or until muffin tops turn golden-brown and a knife inserted comes out clean.

Spinach Ricotta Frittata Muffins

May 3, 2020May 9, 2021 Muffin MamaLeave a comment

Just the act of baking Frittata Muffins makes you feel like you are hosting a lavish brunch, even if you’re not. The epitome of a homey, picturesque Sunday brunch, the smell they create in your kitchen is not just inviting, rather, intoxicating.

This recipe involves minimal steps. Each Spinach Ricotta Frittata Muffin makes a no-mess meal that packs perfectly into any superhero lunchbox or more mature version. Dense with protein from the ricotta/spinach duet, these muffins are dainty and loaded with flavor. Although they do not contain butter, their golden edges are crisp and fried-like. Frittata Muffins are delicious right out of the oven, at room temperature, and even cold. They work well for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner.

Now, go plan your next brunch or make a triple batch for grab-and-go!

Spinach Ricotta Frittata Muffins (makes 12)

4 large eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese (low far or full fat)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup spinach, chopped (*or one 10oz box frozen chopped spinach)
1/4 tsp salt
onion powder (to taste)
garlic powder (to taste)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
2. *Thaw spinach in microwave and squeeze out extra juice.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and stir in ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses.
4. Stir in spinach, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.
5. Use an ice cream scoop to spoon mixture into muffin cups.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are set and golden on top.

**Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Blender Banana Muffins

April 18, 2020 Muffin MamaLeave a comment

For the easiest ever #quarantinebaking, this recipe is dedicated to those who have overripe bananas and no flour in their post-Covid pantry.

Just blend and bake!

These gluten-free muffins call for just FIVE ingredients. After 15 minutes in the oven, they’ve filled your kitchen with wonderful smells and created a protein-packed snack or muffinized meal. You can substitute different kinds of nut butters if you’re allergic to peanut butter and experiment with different toppings like coconut, chocolate chips, and dried fruit or raisins.

Blender Banana Muffins (makes 12)

2 cups peanut butter
4 large eggs
4 medium-size bananas, very ripe
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup honey (optional)
*optional toppings: dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, coconut, raisins, craisins

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray muffin pan with non-stick baking spray.
2. Place ingredients in blender and blend until fully incorporated.
3. Pour batter into muffin tin.
4. Add toppings* to each muffin cup. Use the back of a spoon to push toppings into batter slightly.
5. Bake for 15 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Leave in pan for 5 minutes to cool before transferring to wire cooling wrack or serving platter.

Butter Muffins

November 14, 2018November 26, 2018 Muffin MamaLeave a comment

Sunny yellow in color, just-baked Butter Muffins will fill your home with the scent of sugar melting. Out of the oven, the finished product leaves you feeling like you just walked into an awesome bakery on a Sunday morning.

But don’t just bake them to make your house smell delicious. The taste is buttery, rich and sweet. The texture is like a cookie-cake. And, milk with vanilla adds protein on a cozy morning in a happy home.

Butter Muffins (makes 18)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp milk or yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and spray muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix butter and sugar until well combined. Add eggs, vanilla and milk and mix well.
4. Fold flour mixture into wet mixture and mix well.
5. With an ice cream scoop, distribute batter into muffin cups.
6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until muffins appear slightly golden around the edges and on top.
7. Let muffins cool 5 minutes in pans and then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm.

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

November 10, 2018November 10, 2018 Muffin MamaLeave a comment

One of the best smells of my childhood was the scent of my strawberry shortcake doll. These muffins come close.

Full of fresh strawberries and topped with a sugar crust, they have all of the flavor and richness of the classic strawberry shortcake.

Nostalgic and delicious, here’s an excuse to have cake for breakfast, guilt-free.
Add a pat of butter…yum.

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins (makes 12)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cut into cubes
1 egg
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries (large or small, to your liking)
Confectioners sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and sugar. Cut in the cold butter with two knives until it is in small pea-size pieces.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the egg, vanilla and cream.
4. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir with a spoon just until blended.
5. Gently mix in the diced strawberries.
6. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center will have moist or no crumbs.
8. Cool completely in the pan before removing, as muffins are very soft while warm.
9. Once muffins are cooled, sprinkle tops with confectioners sugar.

Greek Yogurt Chocolate Banana Muffins

May 2, 2017 Muffin Mama1 Comment

If banana bread doesn’t do it for you, these muffins will have you at hello. They are entirely healthy and delicious. And, who could say no to chocolate?

Soft, tender, with a subtle sweetness and loaded with chocolate flavor, these muffins have far less sugar than a typical bakery-style muffin.

Microwave already-baked muffins to make the chocolate chips warm and melty. Spread with peanut butter if desired! For a sweeter variation, substitute peanut butter chips for some or all of the chocolate chips.

Greek Yogurt Chocolate Banana Muffins (makes 12)

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet)
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 large egg
1/2 cup vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled (measured in melted state)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup very ripe bananas (2-3 bananas), mashed very well

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray (do not use liners, they will stick!).
2. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and both types of chocolate chips.
3. In a separate medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and Greek yogurt. Stir in coconut oil, vanilla, brown sugar and bananas.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. With an ice cream scoop, distribute batter evenly into muffin cups.
6. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Blueberry Muffins

March 28, 2017March 28, 2017 Muffin MamaLeave a comment

Been-there-done-that? These blueberry muffins are worth it.

As a Mom of three kiddos, I’m always looking to streamline. Since my almost-one-year-old can eat a whole box of blueberries by his lonesome, I muffinize® by pumping healthy ripe blueberries into an easy batter that makes super moist muffins with a delicate crust.

Blueberry Muffins (makes 12)

½ cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup milk
2 cups blueberries, washed, drained and picked over
3 tsp sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Grease muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Use a hand-mixer to cream* butter and sugar until light. (*To cream butter without a mixer: use the tines of a fork to mash sugar into butter. With a spoon, stir mixture until light and fluffy. The butter is “creamed” when it has almost doubled in mass and it has lightened to a yellowish-white color.)
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add vanilla.
4. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.
5. Add creamed mixture and milk to the flour mixture and mix until combined.
5. Crush 1 cup blueberries with a fork, and mix into the batter.
6. Coat remaining whole berries with flour and then fold them into the batter.
6. Distribute batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle the 3 teaspoons sugar over the tops of the muffins, and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.
7. Remove muffins from tin and cool at least 30 minutes. Store, uncovered, or the muffins will be too moist the second day, if they last that long.

Lemony Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

January 28, 2017January 28, 2017 Muffin MamaLeave a comment

This recipe takes the well-known concept of the blueberry muffin to a whole new level. These muffins are extra special because they have a surprise inside: delicious, lemony cream cheese! They are great on their own, but the lemon cream cheese filling with the plump, juicy blueberries makes these muffins marvelous.

My son didn’t notice the cream cheese filling until the second bite when his “mmmm” escalated to “MMMM!” He loved the surprise filling.

A fresh blueberry muffin with lemony cheesecake flavors in the mix is the perfect way to start any morning. Surprise your loved ones with these muffins-they will love them (and you for baking them)!

Lemony Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins (makes 9)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
zest of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg, large
1/3 cup whole or skim milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Cream Cheese Filling:

3 Tbsp cream cheese
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp sugar
turbinado sugar (for sprinkling on muffins before baking)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon.
3. In a small bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub sugar and zest together, until fragrant. Add to the flour mixture and whisk again.
4. In a separate medium bowl, mix canola oil, egg, milk, and vanilla.
5. Incorporate the wet ingredients into flour mixture. Add slowly and do not over mix. (The batter will be lumpy and thick.) Gently fold in the blueberries.
6. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, lemon zest, and sugar until smooth.
7. Fill each muffin cup half way with batter. Next, add about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese filling to each muffin cup. Cover each cup with remaining batter so you can’t see the cream cheese filling. Sprinkle each muffin with turbinado sugar.
8. Bake muffins for 17-20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Let muffins cool on a cooking rack.

Whole Wheat Spinach n’ Feta Muffins

January 6, 2017January 6, 2017 Muffin Mama1 Comment

Still warm and straight out of the oven, my 7 year-old grabbed one of these and said:
“Mom, this is like lunch and dinner in a muffin.” Bingo.
“It’s like a grilled cheese with spinach.” Right again.
“Mom, I’m amazed.”

These muffins, a complete balanced meal, not only satisfy salty cravings, but add fiber and smell divine. Everything works together: the carmelized onion, buttery spinach and pockets of creamy salted feta and cheddar.

These muffins will have you at first bite. Their crisp outside and soft inside make it impossible to stop.

Whole Wheat Spinach n’ Feta Muffins (makes 21)

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped (1 large onion)
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups spinach, chopped
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a skillet, cook onion and butter over medium heat until onions are tender.
3. Add spinach and cook until just wilted.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and baking soda.
5. Add onion and spinach mixture, cheddar, feta, eggs, milk, and cayenne pepper (optional). Combine and mix thoroughly.
6. Distribute batter evenly into muffin cups.
7. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve warm.

Muffin Mama

Recipes for little hands (and grown-ups, too)

Category: Breakfast