Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

I can't believe I haven't posted about these delicious little muffins before now. I couldn't find my paper copy of the recipe the other day and was sure they'd be here. But no, I had to go searching elsewhere. And now that I did, I've been seeing these little guys pop up all over the place.
 

When I made them, I used the recipe here.

I also found a "healthier" recipe here.

And here's my actual recipe that I usually use.

(I found it)

 I guess I made them a little bit healthier this time, by using whole wheat flour. Just a note: they do taste better with white flour, but if you've never had them or haven't had them in a while, you won't hardly notice the difference.

Here's what I know about these muffins:

• You can make them regular size if you want, but they are so much easier to just pop in your mouth when they are this 2-bite small size.
• They are better for you if you just dip the top in butter and cinnamon sugar, but they taste better if you dip the whole thing!

• The recipe makes a lot, which is a good thing, because they won't last long!

Pumkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Last week at school, we had 2 days of parent-teacher conferences. The first day is a long one, 11 in the morning until 8 at night - yikes! These are always days I don't really look forward to, so I decided we needed a little pick-me-up for the beginning of the 1st day. I found these amazing muffins on Pinterest, originally from Annie's Eats {oh my gosh, so many great ideas over there!} and I knew these would be the perfect treat on a long day of conferences.

Since these muffins have a cream cheese filling, there are a few more steps than usual. I, of course, didn't read through the whole recipe before starting, so I didn't realize how much time it would all take. But I am passing these words of wisdom along to you - the filling needs 2 hours to freeze, so make it ahead of time!

Once the filling is made, it's a pretty easy process of mixing up the batter and slicing up the filling to put it in the middle of each muffin. Just fill the cups part way, add a blob of the cream cheese mixture, and cover it all up. Add a little bit of cinnamon sugar topping, and pop them in the oven!

When you take them out of the oven, you will want to eat them right away, but be patient and let them cool completely - the cream cheese filling is hot! Once they've cooled, enjoy your tasty treats.

{They were delicious!}

For the original recipe (with complete directions) visit Annie's Eats!

Pumpkin Muffins

It's Fall! That means the return of my favorite drink, "Fall in a Cup", aka Pumpkin Spice Latte, and other pumpkin treats, like these pumpkin muffins with spiced cream cheese frosting.

Somehow even after the slightly disastrous chocolate cherry brownies, I decided to try another recipe using a mix and a can of fruit filling. Why? I don't know, maybe because it's a super easy way to bake and I was feeling lazy. Or maybe because I just wanted something pumpkin-y to celebrate fall and this is what I thought of first.

This recipe included a box of vanilla cake mix and a can of pumpkin. I also added in a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to get the pumpkin pie flavor.

I guess I should have learned from my last attempt with fruit filling (is pumpkin a fruit?), because these muffins didn't turn out exactly as planned either. When I took them out of the oven, the tops were very jagged and had little peaks, like mountains. They tasted pretty great, super moist and pumpkin-y, but they looked pretty bad.

To hide the mountain peaks, I decided they needed a little frosting. I whipped up a little batch of my favorite spiced cream cheese frosting, and globbed it on with a spoon. Since the muffins weren't flat, the frosting wouldn't be smooth either, so the globbing technique worked out pretty well!

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting:

Blend together the following ingredients...

8 oz. cream cheese (softened), 1/4 cup butter (softened), 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Hope you're all enjoying fall and pumpkin treats as much as I am!

Mmmm...Banana Bread Muffins

Just look at these super cute muffin papers I got for Christmas from my sister:

I've been waiting for a chance to use them, so when my mom found this new banana muffin recipe, I thought they would be perfect! (You can find the original recipe here.)

You will need:

• 2 c. flour - I used whole wheat white flour
• 1 c. brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. oil - I used regular vegetable oil
• 4 large, very ripe bananas
• 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
• sanding sugar or sugar in the raw for sprinkling - I forgot to add this, and they still turned out yummy!

The recipe is pretty simple:

1. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. Stir in the oil until combined. The batter will be very dry and crumbly. Make sure to mix it all the way together.
3. Mash the bananas in a bowl (I just used a fork to mash them). Add them along with the chocolate chips to the flour mixture. Stir until combined.
4. Fill the muffin papers almost to the top and sprinkle with the sugar (if you don't forget).
5. Bake for about 22 minutes at 350 degrees. Turn the pan once during baking.

*I got a little nervous about filling the papers almost all the way up to the top. Lots of times I end up filling them too full and the muffins or cupcakes explode out of the top. But I filled them pretty full, crossed my fingers, and popped them in the oven.

Turns out there was no need to be nervous, they did not explode, but came out just about perfect!

FYI, I think this might be my new go-to banana bread recipe.

They were that good!