Mini Gingerbread Muffins

mini gingerbread muffins
 

Today, I just felt like making something special.  Something you just don't have everyday.  I decided to make gingerbread muffins.  It seems that the only time you hear about gingerbread is Christmas time.  Why not make some in April or whenever you feel like you want something warm and sweet and spicy.  This recipe is simple and makes 48 mini muffins.  Hope you like it.

 

Mini Gingerbread Muffins

Yield:  48 mini muffins

 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray mufin tins with nonstick spray.
2. Combine flours, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, combine egg, brown sugar, molasses, buttermilk and melted butter.
4. Add wet to dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
5. Scoop evenly into muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
6. Enjoy.

Thank you for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed & Breakfast blog.  Hope you'll visit again, soon.



Shirred Eggs Diavolo

Recently, I saw a recipe for eggs diavolo which were made on the stove in a sauce pan. I thought they would be easier and just as delicious if you baked them. They are! Here's my very simple recipe: Spray your muffin tin with non stick spray. Spoon some spicy marinara sauce in the bottom of each muffin cup (about a tablespoon is perfect). Crack an egg carefully into each muffin cup (try not to break the yolk, but, it really doesn't matter). Spoon about a teaspoon of olive oil over the yolk of each egg. Sprinkle with a little pepper and top with some shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the eggs are set to your liking. Serve topped with a little extra marinara sauce and cheese. Delicious! Hope you enjoy this recipe. I recently had guests tell me this was the best thing they ever tasted.

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast blog.  Come visit again, soon.

Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

 What looks like a cookie but is perfect for breakfast, brunch, tea or whenever you like? How about a chocolate chip muffin top with a streusel topping! I've been making these for years and everyone LOVES them.

 Have a sweet day!

 Love, Susan

Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops
Yield: 12 muffin tops

Topping:
½ cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 Tablespoon flour
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Muffin:
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
4 ½ teaspoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
¾ cup mini chocolate chips
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup melted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin top pan with nonstick spray.
2. Prepare topping by combining nuts, brown sugar, butter and flour.
3. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine muffin dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips.
5. In a small bowl, combine wet ingredients.
6. Add wet to dry and stir just until combined.
7. Spoon into prepared pan.
8. Evenly distribute topping over batter and press gently into batter.
9. Bake 15 – 18 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean.
10. Cool on rack for 5 minutes before removing from pan.
11. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Muffin Top

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn.  Hope you'll visit again, soon.

Orange Pecan Buttermilk Pancakes

Orange Pecan Buttermilk Pancakes

These orange pecan buttermilk pancakes were made, again, by special request. So many of you asked me for the recipe and I always try to make everyone happy. Here is one of my guests' favorite recipes. Hope you love them. BTW, those giant pecans are actually from one of our trees. Love, Susan

Orange Pecan Buttermilk Pancakes

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup orange juice

2 Tablespoons melted butter or oil

Zest from ½ orange (optional)

½ cup chopped, toasted, pecans

1. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl.

2. Combine egg, buttermilk, orange juice, butter or oil and zest, if using.

3. Add wet to dry ingredients and stir just to combine.

4. Spoon batter onto hot griddle and sprinkle with pecans. Flip when lightly browned to brown other side.

5. Serve with nut side up accompanied by butter and maple syrup.

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed & Breakfast blog.  Come visit again, soon!

Whole Wheat Cheddar Scones

Whole Wheat Cheddar Scones

I wanted to make a savory scone, but, I wanted to use whole wheat.  So, I came up with this recipe inspired by cheddar biscuits, for whole wheat cheddar scones with a little chipotle kick.  Hope you like it.
Love,
Susan

 

Whole Wheat Cheddar Scones

Yield: Makes 12 – 16 scones

·        2/3 cup all-purpose flour

·        2/3 cup whole wheat flour

·        1/4 cup corn meal

·        3 tablespoons sugar

·        2 teaspoons baking powder

·        1/2 teaspoon salt

·        ¼ teaspoon chipotle pepper

·        1 -1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (1 -1/4 cup and 1/4 cup)

·        3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream  plus extra for brushing

 

1 Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, corn meal, salt, sugar, chipotle pepper, and baking powder. Stir in 1 1/4 cups of the grated cheddar cheese.

2 Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour the cream into the center of the well and mix gently just to bring together the ingredients. If you need to add a bit more cream then do so a tiny trickle at a time. You just want everything to get wet enough so that the dough will clump together.

3 Turn the dough out onto a surface lightly dusted with flour. Knead the dough just a few times - maybe only three or four pushes. You just want it to come together.

4 Divide dough in half.  Pat each portion of the dough into a circle about 3/4-inch to an inch thick. Cut each circle into 6 – 8 triangles.  (Scones can be frozen at this point for later baking.)

5 Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, with at least an inch or two between scones. Brush the tops with a little more cream. Sprinkle tops with the remaining cheese.

6 Bake at 425°F for 11-12 minutes (if frozen, add a couple of minutes) or until golden brown.

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn blog.  Hope you'll visit again, soon.

Nut Muffins - gluten free, soy free, egg free, dairy free

I've noticed that a lot of you are like me - we need recipes that are gluten free, soy free and egg free, either for health reasons or by choice. This recipe is for you. It only makes 2 muffins. Perfect for when you need a muffin fix, but, don't want to make more than you need right now. I've made them twice - once with pecans and once with almonds. I used apple puree the first time and pear puree the second. Both came out delicious. They did brown very quickly, so watch the oven. 

Nut Muffins
Yield: 2 muffins
3/4 cup nuts
1/4 cup fruit puree
1 TBS honey
1/8 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 2 foil muffin cups on a baking sheet.
2. In a small food processor, grind the nuts to the consistency of flour (not to butter).
3. Add remaining ingredients and combine.
4. Scoop into foil muffin cups.
5. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325 and bake an additional 5 – 10 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

  (May take a little longer depending on the puree.)

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed & Breakfast.  Hope you'll come back soon.

Love,

Susan

Chocolicious Scones

Triple Chocolate Scone

If you feel like having something decadently chocolate, how about Triple Chocolate Scones?  I found this recipe on the King Arthur Flour site and had been waiting for the right day to try them.  Today was that day! There is cocoa, chocolate chips and for the glaze, I used Dove's dark chocolate.  Definitely a chocolate lover's dream.  Hope you enjoy making them, too.   Let me know how yours come out!

Triple Chocolate Scones

Scones

2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional for flavor and color

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into pats

1 1/2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk or liquid whey (the liquid drained from yogurt)

2/3 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup half and half or liquid coffee creamer

Directions

1) Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.

2) To make the scones: In a large mixing bowl, blend the flours, cocoa, espresso powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together thoroughly.

3) With a pastry blender, pastry fork, a mixer or, most easily, your fingertips, work in the butter until the mixture is unevenly crumbly.

4) Stir in the chocolate chips.

5) Whisk together the vanilla, egg, and milk or whey.

6) Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until the mixture is evenly moist. If you're using milk rather than whey, you may need to add an additional 2 to 3 tablespoons, to make the dough come together.

7) Mix 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar with 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, and sprinkle it on your parchment-lined (or lightly greased) baking sheet. You're using this sugar mixture in place of the usual flour, to keep the scones from sticking to the pan as you shape them.

8) Divide the dough in half, and place the two pieces onto the baking sheet. Pat them gently into two 6" circles, each about 3/4" thick.

9) Cut each circle into 6 wedge-shaped pieces with a bench knife or bowl scraper (or sharp knife), pressing down firmly without sawing. You'll find it easier if you dip your cutter in flour after each cut. Make sure you press it into the dough quickly, without twisting or sawing. This shears the dough cleanly rather than pressing it together, which allows the scones to rise higher.

10) Bake the scones for 18 to 23 minutes, until they lose their moist look, and a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean; or with just a smear of chocolate from a melting chip.

11) Remove the scones from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.

12) To make the glaze: Place the chocolate chips and half & half or creamer in a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan. Heat in the microwave (or over low heat) until the cream is very hot. Remove from the heat, and stir until the chips melt, and the mixture is smooth.

13) Drizzle/spread the glaze over the cooled scones.

Yield: 12 scones. http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/triple-chocolate-scones-recipe

Thanks for your visit to the Americus Garden Inn blog.  Come again, soon.

Love,

Susan

Triple Chocolate Scones