Spicy Mandarin Orange Muffins

1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup softened butter
1/2 cup milk
1 11 ounce can mandarin oranges, drained, sections cut into 3-4 pieces
chopped dates and nuts (optional)

TOPPING:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients. Beat egg, add butter, then add milk. Add wet to dry. Stir in orange pieces, nuts, dates. Fill paper bake cups 1/2 full. Microwave on high approximately 3 minutes. Test with toothpick. Dip hot muffin top in melted butter then in cinnamon and sugar.

Carrot Muffins with Walnut Cream Centers

2 1/4 cups Flour, all-purpose
5 2/3 tablespoons Sugar, granulated
2 teaspoons Baking soda
10 tablespoons Raisins, golden; plumped, drained
3 2/3 tablespoons Margarine, softened
1 cup Buttermilk, low-fat
1/2 cup Egg substitute
2 tablespoons Orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
6 tablespoons Cream cheese, light
2 ounces Walnuts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Sour cream, light

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper baking cups; set aside.

Combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar and baking soda; stir. Add carrots and raisins, stir to coat. Stir in margarine; set aside.

Combine buttermilk, egg substitute, orange juice and vanilla; stir into flour mixture.

Fill each cup about 2/3 full. Combine cream cheese, walnuts, sour cream and remaining sugar.

Top each portion of batter with an equal amount of cheese mixture.

Bake in middle rack for 20-25 minutes, golden brown. Remove from pan to rack and cool.

Weight Watchers "Simply Light Cooking"

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon (use peel, juice and fruit)
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups firm ripe blueberries, fresh or frozen

LEMON GLAZE:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Have ready 12 paper lined muffin cups.

In large bowl of electric mixer, beat together all but flour, baking powder, nuts and fruit until blended.

Add the flour, baking powder and walnuts, and stir until dry ingredients are just moistened - do not overbeat. Stir in blueberries.

Divide batter between 12 paper lined muffin cups and bake in a 400ºF oven for about 22-25 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned and a cake tester, inserted in center, comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove from pan and continue cooling on a rack. Brush tops with lemon glaze if desired (for glaze stir all ingredients together until blended).

Yields 12 muffins.

Lemonade Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade, thawed

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup cooking oil

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, mix only 1/2 cup lemonade, egg, milk, and oil. Add to dry mix, stirring until just moistened. Gently stir in nuts.

Spoon into prepared pans and bake and bake at 375° F. for 15-20 minutes or tests clean.

While hot, brush with remaining lemonade and sprinkle with white sugar.

YIELD: 8-9 Large Muffins

Coconut Cream Muffins

1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2/3 cup heavy cream or half and half

1/2 cup softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 12 muffin cups or line with paper liners.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

Stir extracts into cream. Beat butter in large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for 1 minute. Gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy. Reduce mixer speed to medium. Beat in eggs until blended. Reduce mixer speed to low.

Alternately beat in flour and cream mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour, just until blended. Stir in coconut.

Fill prepared muffin tins three-fourths way full.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Yield: 1 dozen.

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon almond extract

Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 drops almond extract

1 tablespoon cornstarch

The night before, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and cocoa powder in large bowl; cover with clean dishtowel and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350ºF; grease muffin tins.

In small bowl, make filling: beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, almond extract and cornstarch until uniformly fluffy - set aside.

In separate bowl, beat together milk, egg, oil and extract.

Add milk mix to flour mix. Mix just until you no longer see any dry bits in the batter.

Fill the bottoms of muffin cups with approximately 2 Tablespoons batter (about 1/3 full). Dab a spoonful of cream cheese filling in middle of each muffin cup, making sure filling isn't touching any of the sides. Cover up cream cheese with rest of batter, filling muffin cups until they are 3/4 full. Work as quickly as you can, so cream cheese doesn't sink to bottom.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Makes 6 large muffins.

Strawberry Muffins and Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread

1 cup Strawberries, chopped

3/4 cup + 1T sugar

2 cups Flour

2 teaspoons Baking powder

1 teaspoon Salt

3 Eggs

1/4 cup Oil

1/2 cup Milk

1 teaspoon Grated orange peel

12 Strawberries, cut fan-shape

Spread:

8 ounces softened cream cheese

1/4 cup crushed strawberries (or chopped)

Sprinkle the chopped strawberries with 1 T. sugar and set aside.

Sift together flour, remaining 3/4 C. sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.

Beat eggs until light in a small bowl. Add oil, milk, and orange peel, and blend well.

Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir until mixed, 10-15 strokes.

Drain chopped berries and fold into batter.

Fill paper lined cups 2/3 full. Bake 400° F., 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Serve warm or cooled with Strawberry-Cream Cheese Spread. Garnish each muffin with a fan-shaped berry.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread: Mix until well blended.

Rhubarb Orange Muffins

2 cups finely diced rhubarb

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 beaten eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

sifted powdered sugar

Combine rhubarb, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and orange peel; let stand 5 minutes.

Stir together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Combine eggs, buttermilk, and butter; add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Gently fold in rhubarb mixture.

Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full.

Bake at 375ºF for 20 to 25 minutes. Dust warm muffins with powdered sugar.

Makes 16 muffins.

Maple Pecan Muffins

2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter or margarine melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 400° F.

Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl, set aside.

Beat egg in small bowl, stir in syrup, milk, butter and vanilla.

Add to flour mixture, stir until just moistened (batter will be lumpy) stir in pecans.

Spoon batter into paper-lined or greased muffin pans filling each section 2/3 full.

Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon sprinkle evenly over each muffin.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 12 muffins.

Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup buttermilk

4 ounces butter

1 1/2 cups blueberries

Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk and butter that has been melted and browned slightly. Make a well in dry ingredients and pour in liquid ingredients, mixing quickly.

Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups and bake till golden brown.

Bake at 400ºF for 20 to 30 minutes.

Makes 24 muffins.

Toll House Streusel Muffins

Muffins:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 (12 ounce) package NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Streusel:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease or paper line 12 muffin cups.

Combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Stir in butter, milk and egg just until moistened. Stir in morsels. Spoon batter into 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups.

Combine brown sugar, flour and butter in small bowl; stir in nuts. Sprinkle generously over muffin batter; press down lightly.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 12 servings

Ginger Rhubarb Muffins

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup fresh ginger, grated

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup yogurt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup oil

1 egg

1 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, diced

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

In large bowl, mix together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and grated ginger.

In separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, yogurt, buttermilk, oil and egg. Stir in the rhubarb, and then the flour mixture; be careful not to overmix.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake approximately 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins.

Strawberry Coconut Muffins

1/2 C. Sugar

1/4 C. Butter

1/4 C. Water

1 1/2 C. Flour

1 Beaten egg

1 C. flour

2 t. Baking powder

1 C. Frozen strawberries diced

1/2 C. Coconut

1 t Vanilla essence

1 C. milk

Preheat oven to 400°F, prepare pans.

Gently heat together the sugar, butter & water until the sugar dissolves, set aside to cool.

Combine flour, baking powder, strawberries & coconut.

Mix together the vanilla, egg & milk, then add to the flour mixture.

Finally pour in the butter syrup & mix until just combined. Spoon into pans & bake for 15-20 mins. Serve hot or cold with custard, yoghurt or ice-cream.

Any berryfruit may be used in this recipe. If using fresh berries add them at the end to avoid damaging the fruit.

Makes 12.