Nutella Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

I could go on all day with these mouth-watering pictures.......
                                            ....but I won't.  Because I know you guys just wanna get to the recipe already.  Let me start off by saying that these are the most magnificent muffins I have ever tasted in my entire life.  (My second favorite is tied with my lemon raspberry muffins and my chocolate chip muffins.) They are like CRACK.  You will be wanting one of these EVERY SINGLE DAY once you bake them.  In fact, my family has already decided to have these for Christmas day breakfast!  Yep yep --- they are that good.

Let me tell you a little bit about them.  The muffin cake itself has the perfect amount of spice; wonderfully cinnamon-y, with just the right amount of nutmeg. It is also super moist and tender, everything you would dream the perfect muffin should be.  You know what a snickerdoodle tastes like right? (I'm working on the perfect snickerdoodle recipe by the way)  Hopefully you do.  Well...these muffins tastes just like snickerdoodles...just in muffin form of course (which makes them way cooler).   Plus they are fluffy.  Which makes them way better than snickerdoodle cookies(:  Anyways, on the outside of these heavenly clouds of pure deliciousness is a decadent cinnamon-sugar-butter topping which causes every single bite to melt in your mouth.  Seriously...it may sound like I'm exaggerating but I swear I'm really not.  And I haven't even gotten to the absolute BEST part of these muffins: the NUTELLA center.  Mmmmm...once you take the first bite into these treats, you'll discover a chocolate surprise in the middle, filled with warm, fudgey, sinful nutella.  The chocolate in the nutella pairs amazingly with the vanilla-cinnamon-y-buttery muffin.  They make fantastic left overs too, but are best eaten warm from the oven (of course, these only lasted up until the day after I made them, but they were still awesome). 

Ohmygosh just make these muffins.  I promise they will be a new favorite of yours!

Nutella Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

yield:  8 medium-large muffins

• 1/3 cup (5 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 heaping teaspoons Nutella (about 4 tablespoons)

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

• 6 tablespoons white sugar (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4.5 Tbsp unsalted butter (1/4 cup + 1.5 teaspoons)

Preheat oven to 425F.  Spray muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed.  Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Gently stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  DO NOT overmix – stir until *just* combined.

Spoon 1 heaping Tablespoon of batter into muffin cavity.  Layer with 1 heaping tsp Nutella in the center and spoon another heaping Tablespoon of batter on top.  If the muffin tins are completely full, that is ok.  They will not overflow.  Repeat layering batter + Nutella into each muffin tin.  I got exactly 8 muffins.

Bake at 425F for 5 minutes.  Reduce oven to 350F and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes until batter is set. Allow muffins to cool for about 5 minutes.

While the muffins are cooling, make the cinnamon-sugar topping.  Melt the butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave.  Stir and stick back in microwave if not fully melted.  In a separate small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.  Dip the top of each muffin generously into the melted butter and dip into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Swirl them around in the cinnamon-sugar a bit to make sure you get a thick coating. Set upright on cooling rack.  Enjoy!

***photo-creds to Sally's Baking Addiction, and this recipe was adapted/altered from her as well.

Banana Crumb Muffins

These banana crumb muffins are so delicious that they are the number one recipe on allrecipes.com.  I'm talking about number ONE....numero uno!  Out of what...like MILLIONS of recipes on that site??  Okay, I'm not sure exactly how many recipes there are, but there has to be at least thousands.  Well...it's number one for a reason: they are magnificently scrump-ti-dee-ump-cious. I've never had such a good banana muffin in my entire life.  The only thing I did differently from the original recipe was use one more banana, use super ripe bananas (I'm talking completely brown and gross-looking), cook for a little less time, and adjust the quantity. They are so moist and fluffy, with the perfect amount of sweetness and just the right amount of banana flavor.  They don't even need nuts, chocolate chips, vanilla, cinnamon (besides in the topping), or nutmeg!  Sounds crazy, but I promise the flavor is absolutely perfect as is.  The thing that really sets these muffins over the top is the crumb topping.  It's brown sugary-buttery-cinnamony delight and it's my favorite part about these muffins.  These are delicious served warm, and also very yummy at room temperature.

Yield: about 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted, and cooled slightly
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 16 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

*adapted from Allrecipes.com

Glazed Spice-Cake Donut Muffins

I love spice cake.  I love donuts.  I love muffins.  Why not combine them all?  This recipe does not result in your typical Krispy Kreme, fried donut...although the glaze is quite similar.  The texture is more of a cake donut consistency, with a wonderful, spiced flavor.  They are the perfect thing to have in the morning with a warm, cup of coffee...so comforting, and very suitable for dunking.  They also keep well for a couple days (for best taste, no more than three), and who doesn't love leftovers? Another thing I love about this recipe is that there are so many options on how to prepare the batter.  You can bake them: into mini muffins (just reduce baking time), on parchment paper or greased baking sheet to create muffin top cookies, into one, large pan to create a snack cake/quick bread, in a donut pan, and/or you can frost them with cream cheese icing.  However, I absolutely adore this recipe the way it is - no alterations necessary.  

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

For the Glaze:

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup confectioners' sugar; sifted

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium muffin pan with cooking spray, or line with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, mix sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and flour. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup, and butter in a separate medium bowl until just combined, and stir into the dry ingredients. Do NOT over mix. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, about 3/4 of the way full.
3. Bake 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.  Let rest for at least 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack.
4. For glaze, combine melted butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and hot water in a medium bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffin For One

Okay.  I've had a slight chocolate chip muffin obsession lately.  Especially after eating so many of these.  Are you one of those people that are really tempted to eat the entire batch of muffins you make?  Yeah...I totally know the feeling.  So I decided to create a single chocolate chip muffin, that was actually (somewhat) healthy. I had no idea if it would turn good, since it made such a small amount, but I'm not kidding you when I say: this muffin tasted awesome. It uses whole wheat flour (yeah fiber!),  you can make it low fat with your choice of the type of butter and milk you use, and it's sugar free (minus the chocolate chips...but you can add other add-ins).  I actually regret making just one serving because I really wanted someone else to taste it so they could share the {happy feeling} my belly was having after eating this yummy little indulgence.  I bet this tastes even better than your favorite chocolate chip muffin recipe (it tastes very similar to my all-time favorite chocolate chip muffin recipe here).

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat)
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• dash of salt
• 1.5 Tbsp chocolate chips (feel free to use other add-ins, like nuts and/or coconut, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, and cooled slightly (you can use low fat if you want)
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp milk (I used soy, but any other type will do)
• 1 Tbsp sweetener (I used Stevia, but any other sweetener is fine too)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 330 degrees. Grease one muffin cup or line muffin tray with 1 liner. Set aside.
2. Mix flours, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips together in one bowl.  Combine vanilla, melted butter, milk, and sweetener in another bowl.  Add wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just combined. DO NOT overmix (overmixing will create a hard/tough muffin).
3. Pour batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 14-17 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Let cool at least 5 minutes in pan before removing.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Muffins

I think we can all agree that chocolate and strawberries are a match in heaven.  Am I right??? 

Heck to the yesssssss.

I had some fresh strawberries in my refrigerator yesterday morning, and I wanted to use them up in some kind of super yummy recipe.  Aaaand I was craving chocolate (when am I not??).  So I figured...why not make something with chocolate and strawberries?  I wasn't really craving pancakes, and I could have easily made chocolate chip pancakes and threw some strawberries on top.  I wanted something more creative.  Oatmeal?  Nahh...too boring.  And then a little light bulb went off in my head and I decided muffins.  Oh how I loveee muffins!  I call them "breakfast's cupcake."  Many people wonder the difference between a cupcake and a muffin, and you are gonna realize that you already know the answer once I tell you: Cupcakes are more cakey.  I know.  You totally knew that already, right?  Cupcakes are also more light and fluffy, whereas muffins are more dense (but not too dense! More like pound cake.), chewy, and bready.  A cupcake batter can be made into a cake, but if you were to pour muffin batter into a cake pan, it may not turn out the same.  

Okay, now back to this recipe.  A really, really good muffin should have a very moist texture, similar to a cupcake but still a little more dense.  This recipe is the definition of a perfect muffin.  I's everything you could dream your perfect muffin should be like. The muffin is so moist from the sour cream, and wonderfully fluffy.  It's light, though not quite as light as a cupcake.  So chocolatey (did I mention they have a chocolate drizzle, in addition to the chocolate chips already in it? Genius.), and filled with sweet chunks of delicious, fresh strawberries.  These taste SO GOOD hot from the oven with whipped cream.  Ohmygoodness...my mouth is watering just thinking of how yummy they were.  I tasted one this morning (24 hours later) at room temperature and it was still awesome.  However, I recommend heating it up, to make it even more awesome.  But I do think it was best out of the oven.  I cannot wait to make these again, but I think next time I'll try them white white chocolate chips and/or vanilla chips!  Mmmm!  These, unfortunately, were not my original recipe...so I cannot take the spotlight.  I recently discovered a wonderful blog called Sally's Baking Addiction, and you can find the recipe from her...here.

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

I love raspberry and lemon together and I thought it would make the perfect breakfast muffin. And I was right.  It totally did.  These were unbelievably good.  (I know I say that about every recipe on this site, but I truly only add the best recipes, so you can trust me.)  These muffins have a perfect combination of sweet and tart.  I had some warm (with whipped cream!), and some cool, and they are amazing either way.  However, they tasted best - surprisingly...since most muffins taste best fresh from the oven - at room temperature the next day.  Once you make these muffins, you'll have one warm of course, since you can't resist...but with the remaining muffins, put them in a plastic bag when just the tiniest bit warm, seal it, and have them the next day.  The flavors mellow together and taste absolutely delicious.  The muffins are also incredibly moist, especially the next day after putting it in a sealed bag....more like a cupcake than a muffin.  Make sure to keep the muffins in the muffin tin while cooling; do not take them out of the tin and put them directly onto a cooling rack or else the outside will cool too quickly and get slightly crunchy/less moist.  Oh yeah!  I forgot to say the best part!  These are LOW FAT!   I can't even tell you how un-low fat these taste.  They only have 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (healthy fat, as opposed to butter) among the whole dozen muffins.  I also made them with yogurt and egg whites, and the yogurt is key to what makes them so moist. This is going to be my go-to muffin recipe for now on!

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1.5 cups fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• Garnish: whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, and egg whites. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just blended. Gently stir in the raspberries. Spoon batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the tops.
3. Bake for 13 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top springs back when lightly touched, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (if raspberry sticks to it, that's okay...as long as no lemon batter does). Cool muffins in the tin on a wire rack.  I recommend having warm muffins with a dollop of whipped cream.  Store left over muffins in a sealed container/bag.

Blueberry - Coconut - Nut Muffins

Does that picture look yummy or what?  Nutty, sweet and fruity, this muffin bursts with the flavors of the tropics.  The one-two punch of coconut and macadamia nuts in this luxurious muffin will make you think you’re having your morning coffee in > Hawaii <. This recipe was adapted from Eating Well Magazine, and is every bit as delicious as the picture.  I altered it a little based on what I had on hand, and it turned out so amazing.  This was my first time making a really killer blueberry muffin, and I wouldn't change anything about the recipe.  Also, these muffins are surprisingly healthy!  They're made with whole wheat flour, healthy oils, and fresh fruit, so you don't have to feel guilty about eating more than one(: Drizzle them with honey and a dollop of whipped cream for an added touch of sweetness.


Make Ahead Tip: Store, individually wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic wrap, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30-45 seconds.

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup sweetened coconut; 

2 tbsp plus 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided; 

2 tbsp plus 1/2 cup brown sugar, divided; 

5 tbsp chopped macadamia nuts (or any other nuts of your preference), divided;

2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil, divided; 

1 cup whole-wheat flour; 

1 tsp baking powder; 

1/4 tsp baking soda; 

1/8 tsp salt; 

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 

1 large egg; 

1 large egg white; 

3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk (regular is fine too); 

2 tbsp butter, melted; 

1/2 tsp coconut or vanilla extract (I used vanilla, but I wish I had coconut!!); 

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (make sure they're not wet, or they will sink to the bottom)

Garnish/toppings: honey, butter, and/or whipped cream (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine coconut, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons macadamia nuts in a small bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; stir to combine. Set aside.

3. Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, egg, egg white, buttermilk, butter and coconut (or vanilla) extract in a medium bowl until well combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients; stir until just combined. Add blueberries and the remaining 3 tablespoons nuts; stir just to combine. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut topping and gently press into the batter.

4. Bake the muffins until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack at least 5 minutes more before serving.

5.  Serve warm with desired toppings.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

  

Oh yeah.  I made the pictures super duper big just for you.  I hope you're drooling.

...I've had a muffin obsession lately.  Lowes Foods Grocery Store has these massive, freshly baked muffins, and get one almost every time I go. Pumpkin, blueberry, apple crumb, carrot cake, banana nut, orange cranberry, lemon poppy seed, double chocolate, butterscotch (also called butter rum), and of course - chocolate chip.  My favorite one so far is probably the butterscotch.  But every single one is absolutely outstanding.  You have GOT to go to Lowes right now and get these muffins.  They are everything a muffin should be: buttery, sweet, soft, cakey, and super flavorful.  I absolutely love muffins.  And this recipe is one of my all time favorite muffin recipes...and my #1 chocolate chip muffin recipe.  I made this with my friend this weekend, and the two of us nearly finished a whole batch.  I slathered a few of mine with - what else? - peanut butter and had a big glass of milk handy.  Yum.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup light-brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter - melted and cooled
• 2 eggs - beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 package (12 oz) chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. and grease up twelve muffin cups. 

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla until blended. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add milk mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. 

Spoon batter into muffin cups; bake 15-18 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove muffin tin to wire rack; cool 5 minutes and remove from tins to finish cooling. 

Serve warm.

Microwave Nutella Muffin

Happy National Chocolate Cake Day!!!

I know there are many of you out there who have sudden chocolate cravings.  Yeah...that's me pretty much every hour(;  But sometimes they're not just chocolate cravings, they're Nutella cravings.  Even though I eat it by the spoonful, straight from the jar all the time, I wanted to have something a little more creative...but I was too lazy to make something that would have to bake for a while.  Then I remembered I saved a recipe from the blog of Go Bake Yourself called "Less Than Two Minute Nutella Muffin" (here).  So I decided to whip it up.  I didn't think it would taste very good...I mean really, a two minute muffin made in the microwave?  This recipe doesn't even have butter!  How could it possibly taste good?  But when I opened the microwave door after just 30 seconds, the first thing I saw was that it got HUGE!!!  I seriously freaked out when I saw it.  I don't understand how batter could blow up so much and bake into a perfectly fat muffin in just 30 seconds.  But it did.  And then I tasted it...and I was even more shocked, because it tasted sooo incredible!  It was a perfectly cooked, fluffy, cakey, chocolate muffin with an even layer of nutella through the middle.  The nutella made the muffin taste so fudgey and delicious!  It didn't really satisfy my chocolate-nutella craving though...all it did was make me want another one(:

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbs + 1 tsp milk
• 1/2 tbs cocoa powder
• 1 tbs dark brown sugar
• 1 heaping tbs Nutella

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl except for Nutella
2. Line a small, glass, microwaveable bowl with a muffin/cupcake liner (if you don’t have a liner, it's okay - it will spread sideways like a cookie!)
3. Place half the batter into the liner
4. Place the tablespoon of Nutella in the center of the batter (this is where you can also add in some crushed nuts, chocolate chips, marshmallows, etc.)
5. Pour over the second half of the batter, making sure Nutella (and add-ins) is completely covered.
6. Microwave for approximately 30 seconds on high (or until a knife inserted comes out clean...not including the nutella).
7. Let cool for at least 3 minutes, and serve.

Mini Donut Muffins

Last year, I made these goodies for a Christmas party with a ton of hungry athletes, and they were a huge hit.  These little donut muffins are the most addicting dessert I've ever had. They're like potato chips...once you have one, you just keeping popping them in your mouth and can't stop!  They taste just like cinnamon-sugar donuts, but in muffin form.  Typically, I would prefer a donut over a muffin...but these taste better than any donut I've ever had. The nutmeg is the secret ingredient that give them a wonderful, slightly spiced taste.  Because they're tiny, you get a buttery, cinnamon-sugary taste in every bite.  I promise you: you won't be able to have just one.

Yield: 12 mini muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
•  
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 24 mini-muffin cups.
2. Mix 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill the prepared mini muffin cups about half full.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. While muffins are baking, place 2 tablespoons of melted butter in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Remove muffins from their cups, dip each muffin in the melted butter, and roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Let cool and serve.