My Favorite Muffins

March 22, 2009

Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 standard muffins or 6 jumbo "texas size" muffins

1/2 can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1t pumpkin pie spice*
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2t baking soda
1/2t salt
1 1/2 cup flour (may use up to 3/4 cup whole wheat)
1t baking powder

1T sugar plus 1t cinnamon, mixed together for sprinkling

*1/2t cinnamon, 1/4t nutmeg, 1/4t ginger

Pre-heat oven to 350

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, spice, sugar, baking soda and salt. Whisk in flour and baking powder until just combined. Scoop batter into paper lined or greased muffin tin. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake 25-30 min for standard muffins, 30-35 min for jumbo muffins, or until toothpick comes out clean.

I cannot wait for vacation

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas, April 2008

Someplace warm

St Thomas, USVI, September 2006

Pecker

In our yard, February 15, 2009

Valentine's treats

Brownie roll-out cookies

(Recipe from smittenkitchen.com)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup lightly salted butter, softened (Deb note: I don’t really see “lightly salted” much these days, so I used one stick salted, one stick unsalted)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (Deb note: I used the “good” stuff–Droste or Galler–but I can assure you that my mother only used Hershey’s growing up, so your choice)  (Jaime note:  store brand worked just fine for me)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Whisk dry flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. (It does disappear once baked, though, so don’t overly fret if they go into the oven looking white.) Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Bath time

February 11, 2009

Spidey

Gonic Trails, August 1, 2007