Tag: breakfast

Lemon Zested Blueberry Muffins

Friends! My blueberry bushes are FINALLY producing enough blueberries to actually create with them. It brings me such joy to see these little splashes of blue among the sturdy green bushes. And while it seems to take a long time to harvest, I find it to be meditative. I do it silently and alone, taking in the sounds and smells; experiencing a nature bath. Once I harvested a pint, I got to work at creating lemon zested blueberry muffins. I have been so excited to share with everyone. 

I dig using oatmeal as a base in quick breads and muffins for the added nutrition and texture. However, I don’t see it mixing well with blueberries. Maybe I am wrong, but this recipe doesn’t use them. (You can check out some that do by checking out my baking page here.) In order to attempt to add some nutrients, I went with coconut oil and some Greek yogurt. I cut the sugar slightly as well. And don’t be afraid to try a quality whole wheat for some of the flour. You may be surprised! Now let’s get baking those lemon zested blueberry muffins. 

Your Ingredients for Lemon Zested Blueberry Muffins

  • ½ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil, room temperature (about 70 degrees) 
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour 
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • Zest of one lemon 
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (If frozen, measure frozen)

Your Steps

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and preparing two muffin baking tins by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and coconut oil (Note: the coconut should be solid but soft).  Add in vanilla and eggs, whisking until well combined. Stir in Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and zest. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in blueberries. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes until baked through. Serve them with a warm cup of coffee or tea!

  • A little sugar and coconut oil.
  • Farm fresh eggs. Does it get much better?
  • And the way the blue just pops!
  • Almost there!
  • Let’s go!
  • Perfection!
  • Check that berry goodness!

Lemon Zested Blueberry Muffins

Does it get more classic than lemon and blueberry? These lemon zested blueberry muffins are more nutrient dense with all the flavor!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 15 muffins

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil room temperature (about 70 degrees)
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries If frozen, measure frozen

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and preparing two muffin baking tins by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, cream sugar and coconut oil (Note: the coconut oil should be solid but soft).
  • Add in vanilla and eggs, whisking until well combined.
  • Stir in Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and zest.
  • Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients until just combined.
  • Fold in blueberries.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes until baked through. Serve them with a warm cup of coffee or tea!
Keyword blueberry, Breakfast, currant muffins, lemon, lemon blueberry
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Red Currant and Lemon Muffins

A crazy amount of years ago, I was at a farmer’s market and tasted a small red berry. It was tart and delicious. I promptly brought a container. I remember loving them so much. What I don’t remember, however, is what type of berry they were. I was sure they were gooseberries, so I bought some bushes. Nope, not it. Then I was sure they had to have been currants. I planted a few bushes of currants, and now that they have come to fruition (haha, see what I did there? Fruition? Fruit. I am not that witty), I am still not sure that was it. So who knows what fruit I loved. But what I know is that I now have currant bushes and with them, I have created these beautifully light and sweet-tart red currant and lemon muffins. 

I developed this recipe by tweaking and adjusting my favorite strawberry bread. You can find that bread by clicking here. These muffins started as currant, but screamed for some lemon zest. I dropped the cinnamon in the strawberry bread and adjusted the moisture just a little bit. 

I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I did. They were a delight to enjoy over the Fourth of July and bring me joy with a perfectly creatd cup of coffee. (I mean, is there much better than a well baked breakfast sweet with a cup of coffee? I think not.)

Your Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup Vanilla Greek yogurt (I dig Oikos Triple Zero Yogurt for zero added sugar)
  • Zest of one large lemon
  • 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt 
  • 1 cup currants

Your Steps to Red Currant and Lemon Currant Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 12-16 muffin wells by spraying with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Mix in eggs one at a time. Whisk in yogurt and lemon zest until well combined. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just blended in. Fold in currants. 

Divide the batter among the 12-15 muffin cups, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Allow to cool in the tin a few minutes before removing. I think these are best served warm with a cup of coffee.

  • Cream it up. Don’t quit early!
  • Eggs and vanilla.
  • Add that yogurt for the extra moisture!
  • And some lemon zest!
  • Aren’t they such a pretty ruby red?
  • It’s baking time!
  • Dang good!

Looking for other great baking recipes? Check out my baking page by clicking the button below!

Baking

Red Currant and Lemon Muffins

The zest of lemon and tartness of currants combine to make a red currant and lemon muffins that are moist and full of pockets of delight!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 15 muffins

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup butter softened
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup Vanilla Greek yogurt
  • Zest of one large lemon
  • 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup currants

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 12-16 muffin wells by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, cream butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Add vanilla. Mix in eggs one at a time.
  • Whisk in yogurt and lemon zest until well combined.
  • Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just blended in.
  • Fold in currants.
  • Scoop batter into the muffin tins, filling the wells ¾ of the way full.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until baked through.
Keyword currant muffins, currants, lemon, muffins
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Easy Breakfast Tortilla Bake

I believe so many great recipes get created out of necessity or the cleaning of the fridge. A cook looks through the pantry, sees the ingredients they have on hand and simply create. Or perhaps they have a recipe in mind, but forgot to pick up an item or two so they create on the fly. This breakfast tortilla bake is a product of both of these. I couldn’t believe just how good it turned out! 

Most breakfast bakes make huge cake pans worth of food. Too much for most  families unless you are cooking for a huge crowd. The recipes I have also often start with crescent rolls. I don’t mind them, but sometimes I struggle with getting it cooked all the way through. The crescent rolls can also make the bake a little heavy. The tortillas in this bake help lighten it up a little. 

We are a family of four and this was perfect for us with guests of another family four. It cooked up quick, had just a few dirty dishes, and everyone cleaned their plates. Hey, and notice that I snuck a few vegetables in too (you wouldn’t expect anything less from me, would you?!). Let’s get cooking! 

Your Ingredients for a Breakfast Tortilla Bake

  • 4 round flour tortillas (10 inches)
  • 1 pound ground breakfast sausage 
  • 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil 
  • ½ cup diced onion 
  • 1 cup diced sweet peppers (any color) 
  • ½ cup diced button mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon pepper 
  • 3 cups frozen shredded hash browns
  • 8 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk 
  • ¼ teaspoon each of: pepper, salt, onion powder, paprika 
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheese
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced

Your Steps to Breakfast Tortilla Bake 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a shallow 2 ½ quart casserole dish with 2 of the flour tortillas. Add ½ tablespoon olive oil to a deep saute pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add breakfast sausage. Break apart and brown until just cooked. Remove from the pan, but leave the oil. 

Add diced peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until softened, about 6 minutes. While the peppers are cooking, thaw the hash browns in the microwave on the defrost setting. Add hashbrowns to softened peppers and onions. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until they are cooked through and hot, but not browned. 

Remove peppers and hash browns from the pan. If enough oil remains, great. If not, add ½-1 more tablespoons of oil to grease the pan for the eggs. Whisk eggs, milk and pepper, salt, onion powder, and paprika. Add to a hot pan and scramble the eggs. Cook until JUST cooked through. Leave them with more moisture than not. Remove from the pan. 

Layer sausage, hash browns and peppers, and eggs in the casserole dish. Add ½-¾ cup cheese. Top with remaining tortillas. Layer sausage, hash browns and peppers, and eggs once more. Top with remaining cheese and sliced green onions. 

Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve it up!

  • Browned sausage!
  • I just love a cutting board picture!
  • Soften up the vegetables…
  • and then stir in the hash browns.
  • Time to layer it up!
  • Layer one!
  • Layer two plus all the cheese!
  • Baked…
  • and ready to dig in!

Looking for some other breakfast inspiration? Check out my cooking or baking page by clicking the buttons below:

Cooking
Baking

Easy Breakfast Tortilla Bake

Breakfast sausage, hash browns, eggs, and tortillas form the base of this simple breakfast bake perfect for a few weekend guests or a large family!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 round flour tortillas 10 inches
  • 1 pound ground breakfast sausage
  • 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup diced sweet peppers any color
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • ½ cup diced button mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 3 cups frozen shredded hash browns
  • 8 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ teaspoon each of: pepper salt, onion powder, paprika
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheese
  • 3 green onions thinly sliced

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a shallow 2 ½ quart casserole dish with 2 of the flour tortillas.
  • Add ½ tablespoon olive oil to a deep saute pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add breakfast sausage. Break apart and brown until just cooked. Remove from the pan, but leave the oil.
  • Add diced peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until softened, about 6 minutes.
  • While the peppers are cooking, thaw the hash browns in the microwave on the defrost setting. Add hash browns to softened peppers and onions. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until they are cooked through and hot, but not browned.
  • Remove peppers and hash browns from the pan. If enough oil remains, great. If not, add ½-1 more tablespoons of oil to grease the pan for the eggs. Whisk eggs, milk and pepper, salt, onion powder, and paprika. Add to the hot pan and scramble the eggs. Cook until JUST cooked through. Leave them with more moisture than not. Remove from the pan.
  • Layer sausage, hash browns and peppers, and eggs in the casserole dish. Add ½-¾ cup cheese. Top with remaining tortillas. Layer sausage, hash browns and peppers, and eggs once more. Top with remaining cheese and sliced green onions.
  • Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Keyword bake, breakfast bake, breakfast casserole, casserole
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Cherry Almond Glazed Donuts

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you likely know that I often declare, “I don’t like donuts, but you’ll always get me at a good scone.” I’m changing my tune just a little: “I don’t like donuts besides a beautiful cherry almond glazed cake donut.” 

My family loves donuts. Any stop at Kwik Trip results in a box of glazers coming home with us. They have to count and make sure everyone gets their fair share. This mom isn’t included in the count. I even joined a district where a certain group provides donuts every Thursday. I never took a one. 

Then we were in Door County this last fall and some Door County cherry donuts were calling my name. We bought some and they were heavenly. More recently, Kwik Trip started carrying some plain cherry cake donuts. They were no Door County cherry, but they were dang good. And I knew I had to make my own version.

I generally try to make my versions of recipes healthier. This will not be one of those. These cherry almond glazed donuts are airy and perfectly pink. My son declared them the best donuts he’s ever eaten. I don’t know if that’s true, but I sure know I ate two of them and wanted two more. And I “don’t like donuts.” 

Your ingredients for the cherry almond donuts 

  • 1 cup maraschino cherries, primarily drained and blended with an immersion blender until smooth (save the syrup!) (I love my Kitchen Aid blender!
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted 
  • 1 tablespoon oil 
  • ¾ cup white sugar 
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract 
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt 
  • 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour 
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder 
  • ¾ teaspoon salt 
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda 
  • additional cherry syrup 

Your ingredients for the cherry glaze 

  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar 
  • ¼ cup cherry syrup 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Your Steps to Cherry Almond donuts 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a regular donut pan with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, combine butter, oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, almond extract, and yogurt. Whisk until smooth. Stir in blended cherries. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to wet ingredients and stir until fully incorporated. You may want to add just an additional ½ tablespoon of cherry juice here to amp up the flavor a little more if you’re a guy or gal that gives the batter a taste test. 

Divide the batter among 16 donut cavities, filling ¾ of the way full. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until firm to the touch or passes the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted comes out clean). Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the donuts from the pan and place on a cooling rack. 

While the donuts finish cooling, mix softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cherry syrup for a glaze. If you dig a thicker glaze, add a touch more powdered sugar. Dig a thinner glaze? Add more cherry syrup. Whisk until smooth. 

Dip cooled donuts in the glaze. I only did one side, but you can totally flip them to fully coat. If you choose to do both sides, you will need to double the glaze recipe. Best enjoyed within 48 hours of baking, but I bet they won’t last that long! 

  • Gather a cup of mostly drained maraschino cherries
  • Get the wet ingredients together and..
  • whisk until smooth.
  • Stir in some cherries!
  • Look at that pink! Add the dry ingredients!
  • Fill a prepared pan and bake!
  • Get the glaze on!
  • Beautiful, right? They taste even better!

Tools of the Trade

I have a couple tools I love for these donuts. I totally dig my Kitchen Aid Immersion blender for all things. My banana nice cream, you name it. And if you are going to make donuts, you need a good donut pan, right?

Cherry Almond Glazed Donuts

You can't go wrong with the combination of almond and cherry in these light and airy almond cherry glazed donuts that are a cinch to make!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Cooling Time 20 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 16 donuts

Ingredients
  

Batter Ingredients

  • 1 cup maraschino cherries primarily drained and blended with an immersion blender until smooth (save the syrup)
  • 6 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 ⅓ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • additional cherry syrup

Cherry Glaze Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup cherry syrup from cherries
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a regular donut pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, combine butter, oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, almond extract, and yogurt. Whisk until smooth. Stir in blended cherries.
  • In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to wet ingredients and stir until fully incorporated.
  • You may want to add just an additional ½ tablespoon of cherry juice here to amp up the flavor a little more if you’re a guy or gal that gives the batter a taste test.
  • Divide the batter among 16 donut cavities, filling ¾ of the way full. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until firm to the touch or passes the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted comes out clean). Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the donuts from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
  • While the donuts finish cooling, mix softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cherry syrup for a glaze. If you dig a thicker glaze, add a touch more powdered sugar. Dig a thinner glaze? Add more cherry syrup. Whisk until smooth.
  • Dip cooled donuts in the glaze. I only did one side, but you can totally flip them to fully coat. If you choose to do both sides, you will need to double the glaze recipe.
Keyword almond, baking, cherry, donuts
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Jess1 Comment

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

I am back with another baked oatmeal recipe: carrot cake baked oatmeal! After I tried my first baked oatmeal recipe, I was itching to try another. I generally say that I don’t love breakfast. I have a few stand by things I eat and that’s it. When I ate at McDonald’s, I used to be so annoyed when I got there 20 minutes before their breakfast menu switched to lunch and I had to get breakfast. Now, I still don’t dig breakfast, but I am starting to branch out and discover new, healthy meals!

In a recent post, I talked about my favorite things: cooking from scratch, using what is on hand, and finally, inserting vegetables whenever I can. Which I did here, but we will call it a cake to trick our brains, right? 🙂 

Rather than buy oat flour, I made my own using my food processor. It’s so simple my friends. Just put some old fashioned oats into your processor and hit blend until your texture is very coarse flour (I use my Kitchen Aid 7 Cup and it’s grand!). I poured a few cups of oats into my mixture, ground them up, and stored them in an air tight container. 

I have a few other recipes that call for ground oats like these simple energy balls, banana nut baked oatmeal, and this great banana bread, so having some on hand isn’t a bad idea. 

Ready to get mixing and baking? I hope so! Let’s make some carrot cake baked oatmeal!

Your Ingredients for Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal 

  • ⅓ to ½ cup grated carrot 
  • ⅓ cup oat flour
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup 
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk 
  • ⅛-¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional 

Your Steps to Banana Nut Baked Oatmeal 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a ramekin with non-stick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mixing until well combined. Pour into greased ramekin. Bake on the middle shelf for 15-20 minutes, depending on the texture you want your oatmeal to be. I like it to feel more like a bread than goo-ey, so I shoot for the 20 minute mark. 

  • Grate it up!
  • Some oat flour!
  • Add the rest of the dry ingredients.
  • The liquid ingredients and mix.
  • Ramekin it up!
  • And baked! Let’s eat!

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Cake and vegetables for breakfast?! Why not?
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • ⅓ to ½ cup grated carrot
  • ⅓ cup oat flour
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ⅛-¼ teaspoon vanilla extract optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a ramekin with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mixing until well combined.
  • Pour into greased ramekin. Bake on the middle shelf for 15-20 minutes, depending on your texture preference.
Keyword baked oatmeal, Breakfast, carrot, carrot cake
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Banana Nut Baked Oatmeal

Well friends, I jumped on the bandwagon. I had to give the single serving baked oatmeal a try, and boy, I was not disappointed! After looking through a few different recipes, I came up with my own take it. I don’t love chocolate in the morning (after lunch, totally different story), so I went with a banana nut baked oatmeal. Holy…yum. 

If you haven’t noticed or you’re new to my little cozy corner of the Internet (Welcome!), you know I am a fan of a couple things: food from scratch and cooking with what I have on hand. Generally speaking, you won’t find nichy ingredients here, and I think this recipe holds true. 

Rather than buy oat flour, I made my own using my food processor. It’s so simple my friends. Just put some old fashioned oats into your processor and hit blend until your texture is very coarse flour (I use my Kitchen Aid 7 Cup and it’s grand!). I poured a few cups of oats into my mixture, ground them up, and stored them in an air tight container. 

I have a few other recipes that call for ground oats like these simple energy balls or my banana bread, so having some on hand isn’t a bad idea. 

Anywho, banana nut baked oatmeal is quickly becoming my go to breakfast on the weekend when I have a touch more time. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a great weekday breakfast; I am just a fine oiled machine in the morning during the week, and overnight oats are my jam. 

Ready to get mixing and baking? I hope so! Let’s make some banana nut baked oatmeal!

Your Ingredients for Banana Nut Baked Oatmeal

  • ½ banana, mashed
  • ⅓ cup oat flour
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup 
  • 1 tablespoon flax seed
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk 
  • ⅛-¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional 

Your Steps to Banana Nut Baked Oatmeal 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a ramekin with non-stick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mixing until well combined. Pour into greased ramekin. Bake on the middle shelf for 15-20 minutes, depending on the texture you want your oatmeal to be. I like it to feel more like a bread than goo-ey, so I shoot for the 20 minute mark. Either way, it’s filling and delicious; something you can feel good about putting into your body. Yum!

  • First, banana.
  • Mash it up!
  • Add the remaining ingredients (I waited on the almond milk)
  • Mix it together and add the almond milk.
  • Pour into the ramekin and bake!
  • Dig in!

Banana Nut Baked Oatmeal

A wholesome, simple breakfast sure to fill your belly with good for you food and make your tastebuds do a little dance!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • ½ banana mashed
  • ⅓ cup oat flour
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon flax seed
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ⅛-¼ teaspoon vanilla extract optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a ramekin with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mixing until well combined.
  • Pour into greased ramekin.
  • Bake on the middle shelf for 15-20 minutes, depending on the texture you want your oatmeal to be.
Keyword baked oatmeal, Banana, banana nut, oatmeal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins: Clean Eating Style

Recently, I put together some delightful sourdough pumpkin muffins. However, all my friends who aren’t sourdough bakers yet (You know you want to! Here’s a great link by King Arthur’s Flour on how to get started!) requested a non-sourdough pumpkin muffin, preferably of the healthy persuasion. After a little bit of testing and trying, here it is! Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins (with chocolate chips!). 

This Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffin pairs well with a warm cup of coffee in the morning. I love that it isn’t overly sweet and that it’s a baked good I can feel good about putting into my body. While it pains me at times, I just can’t do too much sweet in the morning. It leaves me a feeling out of sorts and not fueled the right way to tackle all the big goals I have! 

One more note: This recipe was created using a home roasted pumpkin. If you haven’t tried roasting your own pumpkin yet, I highly recommend it and the time is still right. Pick up a pumpkin or two from the local market, roast them up using the directions you can find here. Then freeze some so you can have fresh pumpkin baked goods all year round!

Okay, enough talking, let’s get baking some Oatmeal Pumpkin muffins my friends! 

Your Ingredients (about 18 muffins)

  • 2 cups pumpkin puree 
  • 2 eggs, room temperature 
  • ⅓ cup real maple syrup (if you like things on the sweeter side, up this to ½ cup) 
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted 
  • 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour 
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • ¾ teaspoon pumpkin spice (or a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg with a dash of clove)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt 
  • ⅓ cup chopped walnuts 
  • ⅓ cup chocolate chips 

Your Steps to great Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two muffin tins with muffin cups or by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, combine puree, eggs, and maple syrup. Combine flour, oats, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the walnuts, and chocolate chips. Add coconut oil and stir once more. 

Spoon into prepared muffin tins, filling approximately ¾ of the way. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked all the way through. Marvel at the beautiful texture and promptly pop one in your mouth. Aren’t the melty chocolate chips just the best?!

  • It’s as simple as wet ingredients…
  • …dry ingredients…
  • …spoon into the tin..
  • …and marvel at their beauty!

Tools of the trade

If you’re baking, you need a great muffin tin. If you are fortunate enough to have a pumpkin to roast, I recommend a nice thick baking sheet lined in foil. Looking to get a new one? Check out the links below!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins

Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins: Good for you ingredients combine in these pumpkin muffins made from freshly roasted pumpkin!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 18 muffins

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • ⅓ cup real maple syrup if you like things on the sweeter side, up this to ½ cup
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
  • 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • ¾ teaspoon pumpkin spice or a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg with a dash of clove
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
  • ⅓ cup chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two muffin tins with muffin cups or by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, combine puree, eggs, and maple syrup.
  • Combine flour, oats, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
  • Fold in the walnuts, and chocolate chips.
  • Add coconut oil and stir once more.
  • Spoon into prepared muffin tins, filling approximately ¾ of the way.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked all the way through.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Oh So Good Banana Bread (Gluten Free!)

I have this great banana bread recipe. In fact, I had declared it THE best banana bread. It was clean and gluten free, which, let’s be honest, when combined can mean it doesn’t taste that great. But my friends and family will agree, it is darn good banana bread. You can get the recipe by clicking here. 

However, THE best banana bread requires the baker to create oat flour by putting all the dry ingredients in a food processor. I love my food processor, but the other evening, I was not interested in heading to the basement to grab it to make banana bread. Yes, I know this is slightly lazy. Okay, a lot lazy. But out of my refusal to grab an appliance, another great recipe was born. 

This recipe is STILL gluten free. While I am not gluten free myself, I dig being able to create for my friends who are. It still doesn’t have refined sugar. While I still love me some sugar, I enjoy finding good substitutes for my friends who try hard to cut extra sugar from their life. So if you are gluten free, watching your sugar, or you’re like me who really just loves a great banana bread recipe, I hope you give this a try. My husband (who doesn’t love banana bread) definitely went for seconds. And thirds. 

Ready? Let’s get baking!

Your Ingredients

  • 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (olive oil would do fine too!)
  • ¼ cup real maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups almond flour
  • ¾ cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt 
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts 
  • ¼ cup dark chocolate chips 

Your Steps for Great Banana Bread 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×5 quick bread pan. In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir in oil. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the wet mixture. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips. If you want it to look extra beautiful, sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until cooked through. 

  • Start with the best–a few overly ripe bananas
  • Mix up some wet ingredients
  • Add the dry.
  • Stir it up. It will be moist. That’s okay!
  • Baked to perfection. Freaking yum.

Looking to bake other delicious treats? Head on over to my baking page for more inspiration!

Baking

Tools of the Trade

There isn’t much you need for a quick bread, but I want to share out the tools I love when I am baking!

Oh So Good Banana Bread

Oh So Good Banana Bread (Gluten Free!): Clean eating doesn't have to be flavorless. This banana bread is to die for and is gluten free too!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 3 very ripe bananas mashed
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted (olive oil would do fine too!)
  • ¼ cup real maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups almond flour
  • ¾ cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts
  • ¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×5 quick bread pan.
  • In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla.
  • Stir in oil. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the wet mixture.
  • Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top.
  • Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until cooked through.
Keyword Banana Bread, bananas, Breakfast, Quick Bread
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Happy Mistake Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

Isn’t it grand when a “happy little mistake” turns out to be a delight? While I have recently adopted the mentality of “what’s the worst that can happen?” when I am cooking and experimenting (by the way the worst that can happen is I learn what DOESN’T work and I throw away a little food), it is always exciting when the experiment turns out to be the best case scenario. That happened for me a week or so ago when I set out to make pumpkin scones. Scones were not the result, but the sourdough pumpkin muffins I created were a hit! 

Let me backtrack A little bit…

I have a great standard scone recipe that I adapt for all sorts of flavors of scones. You can check out one of my sourdough scone recipes here. I generally modify the spices and maybe add some diced fruit or lemon zest. This time, I had freshly roasted pumpkin that I was excited to use and figured it would mix well into the scone recipe. Needless to say, it became a little more damp than I am accustomed to, and I knew scones would be a no go. 

A few minutes of thinking and a few additional ingredients resulted in a batter the perfect consistency for muffins. I allowed it to rest (like a good sourdough bread should do), and lo and behold, a light, full of spice sourdough pumpkin muffins were born. I was so excited to share it with all of you! 

As an aside, it may not be traditional to share the mishaps turned to beauty in the kitchen. I believe in being real in life and on social media, and man, cooking isn’t always pretty. We make mistakes. Burn things, forget the salt, add one too many eggs, or forget just how many cups of flour you put in (Seriously, I use the least amount of measuring cups possible so if that means I have to use the ½ cup 5 times, I am down for it. Sometimes I lose track though. What can I say?) Bottom line, being in the kitchen should be an adventure. Take chances, embrace the mishaps and love the learning. It’s the only way to get better. 

Now let’s get cooking!

Your Ingredients for Sourdough Pumpkin muffins

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves)
  • ⅓ cup cold butter
  • 1 ½ cups fresh, active sourdough starter
  • 1 cup fresh or thawed pumpkin puree
  • ¼-½ chocolate chips (optional)

Your Steps for Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare muffin tins by greasing or lining with muffin tin liners. Combine all dry ingredients. Cut cold butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Mix by hand, pinching the butter in your fingers until it’s mixed together-ish. To that mixture, add starter, pumpkin, and chocolate chips. Mix by hand until just combined, making sure to reach the bottom of the bowl. Cover. Allow to rest 20-30 minutes. Scoop by ¼ cup full and fill muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean). 

Round out the fall flavor sensation by pairing your freshly baked muffins with some warm apple cider or maybe even a pumpkin spice latte. 

  • Dry ingredients..easy to measure!
  • Wet ingredients, starter and pumpkin, a great pair!
  • Mix by hand and let it rest 20 minutes!
  • Scoop into the muffin tin…
  • ..and perfection!

Tools of the Trade

If you’re baking, you need a great muffin tin. If you are fortunate enough to have a pumpkin to roast, I recommend a nice thick baking sheet lined in foil. Looking to get a new one? Check out the links below!

Roasted Pumpkin Recipe

Looking to roast your own pie pumpkin? Click here to get the recipe!

Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

Sourdough discard mixed with fresh roasted pumpkin puree make for a delightful sourdough pumpkin muffin.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 16 muffins

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ⅓ cup cold butter
  • 1 ½ cups fresh active sourdough starter
  • 1 cup fresh or thawed pumpkin puree
  • ¼-½ chocolate chips optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Prepare muffin tins by greasing or lining with muffin tin liners.
  • Combine all dry ingredients. Cut cold butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture.
  • Mix by hand, pinching the butter in your fingers until it’s mixed together-ish.
  • To that mixture, add starter, pumpkin, and chocolate chips.
  • Mix by hand until just combined, making sure to reach the bottom of the bowl.
  • Cover. Allow to rest 20-30 minutes.
  • Scoop by ¼ cup full and fill muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean).
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Whole Wheat Gooseberry Muffins

A number of years ago, I tried a berry at a farmer’s market. There must have been samples, but the memory is vague. I loved the berry I tried, and told my husband we had to grow them. The following year, we purchased two gooseberry plants. I was so excited! A year later, we had berries. I tried them, and they weren’t at all what I remembered. (In hindsight, I think I had currants at the farmer’s market.) That’s life, right? Maybe it’s just my life. But luckily, I really loved the flavor that gooseberries had. Needless to say, I was grateful for my mishap. Recently, a friend stopped by, asked, what the plant was, and subsequently, what I use them for. Previously, I had only just snacked on them. Once I made a gooseberry gin jam (YUM!). Now I can say with confidence that they make slightly tart and sweet whole wheat gooseberry muffins that are delish! 

They are kind of cute, aren’t they?

But what does a gooseberry taste like?

Never had a gooseberry? They are about the size of a large blueberry, but look like a miniature watermelon with the texture of a grape. Typing that just makes me smile. It almost sounds like a description from a Dr. Seuss book, but I think it’s a great description. They can tart like a green grape or sweeter like a red grape. They grow on bushes with some gnarly thorns. I see that as part of the adventure of having them…can I get away without getting pricked? 

Anywho…we had a bumper crop this year, and I wanted to do more than freeze them. I wanted to bake. I love the way this recipe turned out. They have texture and beautiful color. The flavor is reminiscent of rhubarb with the sweet tart combination. Don’t have gooseberries on hand? I am certain that blueberries would be a great alternative and can’t wait to give that a try too! 

Your Ingredients for Gooseberry Muffins

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 egg 
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • ⅓ cup milk 
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil 
  • 1 ½ cups gooseberries, cleaned (1 ½ cups if you dig the tart flavor. 1 cup if you want it a little sweeter) 

Your steps 

If you haven’t yet, nip off the ends on the gooseberries. You only want the berry portion in the muffin. Then, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease or line a muffin tin. This recipe will result in approximately 12 muffins. 

In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. 

In a small bowl, whisk egg. Add the yogurt, milk, vanilla, and olive oil. Whisk well. After the wet ingredients have combined, pour into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fold in cleaned gooseberries. Again, you can use one to one and a half cups, depending on your preference of flavor. My family loves tart (think, rhubarb bread and pie), so I add more berries. 

Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Allow to cool in the tin a few minutes before removing. I think these gooseberry muffins are best served warm with a cup of coffee. 🙂 

Dry ingredients mixed together.
Whisk the wet ingredients. I like to use a fork.
Combine together.
Fold in berries.
Fill 3/4 of the way full.
Rest a little sweet muffins.
Just check out that texture. Yum!

Gooseberry Muffins

Sweet and tart combine for a muffin reminiscent of a rhubarb bread in these gooseberry muffins. You'll love the tart surprise you get as you bite into one.
1 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients
  

  • 1 – 1 ½ cups gooseberries cleaned (1 ½ cups if you dig the tart flavor. 1 cup if you want it a little sweeter)
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions
 

  • If you haven’t yet, nip off the ends on the gooseberries. You only want the berry portion in the muffin.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease or line a muffin tin. This recipe will result in approximately 12 muffins.
  • In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk egg. Add the yogurt, milk, vanilla, and olive oil. Whisk well.
  • Pour into the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Fold in cleaned gooseberries.
  • Again, you can use one to one and a half cups, depending on your preference of flavor.
  • Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.
  • Allow to cool in the tin a few minutes before removing.
Keyword Breakfast, gooseberry, muffin, muffins
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Hints and Tips

If you opt for all purpose flour rather than whole wheat, you may want to decrease the milk by a ½ tablespoon or so. Whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than all purpose flour does. If you don’t decrease it, you may have a wetter batter. 

Fun fact! Upon further research, I learned that gooseberries were made illegal in the United States in the early 1900’s. They are also in the currant family! No wonder I confused the two 🙂 If you’re interested in the history, check it out here!

Looking for more recipes? Click the links below:

Baking
Canning and Perserving

Jess7 Comments