Apple Pie Muffins

This week, the kids and I spent a few days with my parents since its spring break. While we were there, I helped Mom with a few projects. One of those projects was cleaning out and tidying up her pantry. During this project, she decided there were several things in her pantry that would most likely expire before she used them. So, since I cook a LOT more than she does, such items were donated to the needy (me). I came home with a couple bags of stuff, including a few cans of apple pie filling and lots of oats. This is the first thing I came up with.

Get this:

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

1 can Pillsbury caramel or cinnamon rolls (8-count)

1 can apple pie filling, coarsely chopped

Do this:

Stir together oats, flour, brown sugar & cinnamon. Cut in butter. Set aside. 

Grease or spray 8 muffin cups. Press/flatten each roll and place one in each greased muffin cup.

Fill each with pie filling and top generously with oat mixture. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until rolls are beginning to brown around edges. 

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Ingredients

• 1 box Lemon Cake mix with pudding in the mix
• 1 pkg. Lemon instant pudding mix (4-serving size)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/8 cup poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Grease 2 loaf pans and instead of flouring, use sugar.
2. Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Note: I like to add 1 teaspoon lemon oil for an extra lemon “kick”.
3. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350° F.
4. Test with toothpick for doneness.

My notes:

The recipe above is taken directly from Southern Plate and is another easy "Quick Bread" recipe.  I follow the recipe (shocker, I know) except that I didn't have any lemon oil on hand.  So, I squeezed 1/2 a lemon into mine and just stirred it in.  If you need to whip something up in a hurry to take somewhere or because company's comin', then this one is great!

Quick Biscuit Style Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade cinnamon rolls...no eggs...no rise time...REALLY! Can you get any better than that!?!?  I'm tellin' ya, these things are amazing and addictive!  I made them 4 times in less than 2 weeks.  So, BEWARE!  I cannot be held responsible for the weight you will gain as a result of these sinful cinnamon rolls.

Biscuits

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup whole milk

Filling:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

4 teaspoons cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Vanilla Glaze:

1 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

milk, if needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch cake pan with cooking spray. 

Whisk together the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Dice 2 tablespoons of the butter and rub into flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand. 

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter and combine with sour cream and milk. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Lightly flour work surface. Roll out dough to 1/4'' - 1/2'' thickness. 

Combine filling ingredients to form a paste and spread over dough. Roll up tightly and slice into 1'' - 1 1/2'' slices. Place into greased pan. Leave a little room between them to allow to expand while cooking. 

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Cool 5 minutes. Combine all glaze ingredients until smooth and spread over warm rolls.

My notes:

I can't tell you enough how seriously good these are.  They almost melt in your mouth.  And, with some fruit and bacon, they make a pretty amazing breakfast.

"Rub" the butter into the flour mixture - I used my pastry blender ('cept for when I was in Utah where I used 2 forks - maybe I should buy Rach a pastry blender for Christmas).

The dough was consistently a little dry for me, so each time I have made them I have added 4 additional tablespoons of milk.  EXCEPT for the time I made them while visiting a friend in Utah...there I had to add so much extra milk that I stopped measuring.  Just a difference in the humidity I am sure.  Just add a little extra milk if you need to to make sure you aren't leaving half of your dry ingredients in the bowl.  But don't add so much milk that your dough is so sticky you can't work with it.

The recipe says to roll out the dough.  I did that the first time I made them.  Then every other time I just smooshed it out with my fingers/hands to the shape and thickness I wanted. I did this simply because at that moment I was too lazy to get out my rolling pin.  Just being honest...(o:

I would recommend mixing up your filling first so it will be ready and waiting on you when you need it.  Otherwise, you are going to have to wash all the dough off your hands, make the filling, then get your hands doughy all over again.

I never needed to add any milk to the glaze.

I got 12-15 rolls each time I made this.  I would tell you about storage of the leftovers, but what few leftovers we had only lasted a few hours.  So, I just left them sitting out on the counter and watched them dwindle throughout the day.  They do reheat amazingly well though.

You should check your pantry now, make sure you have everything you need and plan to make them for Saturday morning breakfast...if you can wait that long.  Seriously...trust me!

Peach Cobbler Muffins

Ran across this recipe on Southern Plate and knew immediately it was one I was gonna have to try.  After tasting it, I knew immediately it was one I would make again and again.

Ingredients
•1 1/4 cup self rising flour
•1 cup brown sugar
•1/4 cup quick cooking oats
•1 teaspoon cinnamon
•2 eggs
•29 ounce can peaches, drained well and coarsely chopped
•1 teaspoon vanilla
•3/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions
Prepare muffin pan by spraying with Pam. In large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon. In separate bowl, mix beaten eggs, peaches, oil and vanilla. Pour egg mixture all at once into flour mixture: stir just until flour is moistened. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until tested done. Makes one dozen.

My notes:
First let me say, if you are hoping for something as sweet as traditional peach cobbler, then please don't make these.  You'll be disappointed.  That is one thing that I really liked about them...they are not sickeningly sweet.  They are REALLY good with a cup of coffee (and a beautiful friend) and much more of a breakfast or snack muffin than a dessert.


I did not have "quick cooking oats".  I used what I had on hand..."Old-fashioned oats"...and it worked just fine.  I used extra large eggs and I also added about 1/4 teaspoon each of ground cloves and ground nutmeg...because I love the flavor of both and I find myself constantly looking for places to use them.


The tops of these muffins get really brown and the sugar almost caramelizes as they bake.  You might be able to tell from the awesome pics made by my friend over at Lulu Photography.  (There's a subtle plug for you, Becke'!)


Oh yeah, one last thing.  The recipe says it makes 12.  Now I don't know what size muffins she made, but they obviously were a bit larger than mine 'cause I got 18!  And I was proud to have those extra 6!!!

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

5 to 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 envelopes FLEISCHMANN'S RapidRise Yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

3 large eggs

Apple Filling (recipe follows)

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping (recipe follows)

Directions

In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, milk, and butter until very warm (120oF to 130oF). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each portion into 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Spread Apple Filling evenly. Beginning at long end of each, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seams to seal. Cut each roll into 12 equal pieces. Place, cut sides up, in greased 9-inch round pans. Cover, let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with Cinnamon-Sugar Topping.

Bake at 375oF for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pans; serve warm.

Apple Filling: Combine 2 large cooking apples, chopped; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup butter or margarine in medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low; cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Cool completely.

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping: Combine 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Stir until well-blended.

 

My notes:

I failed to read the recipe all the way through before I started.  I know better, but sometimes I just get so excited about a new recipe that I lose all general cooking knowledge. That being said, make your Apple Filling FIRST!  It takes a little longer than the 10 minute rest time mentioned in the recipe and it has to cool completely before you can use it.  Probably oughta go ahead and mix up your Topping as well, but if you don't you'll have plenty of time to do it during the 45 minute rise time.

 

This recipe makes 2 dozen cinnamon rolls.  So, unless you are having a crowd for breakfast, plan to give some to the neighbors or send some to work with the hubby (or wife, if you are a cookin' man).

 

So, I made the dough first, then the apple filling.  So the dough "rested" for more like a 1/2 hour while I was working on apples.  Didn't cause a problem.  But, you might wanna even make the apple filling the night before.

 

For testing purposes, I used one pyrex dish and one stoneware pan.  Both worked fine.

Next time I do this, and I will do this again, I will either roll each piece in the cinnamon sugar mixture before I put it in the pan or I will figure out a way to sprinkle some in between each piece.  I think that would make for a better dish.  BUT, this was SO good and I feel such a sense of accomplishment having done these from scratch.  My grandma would be proud!

As I have said, I am so intrigued by breads and I am going to continue to try them more and more as I find recipes I think I can handle.  I am in LOVE in RapidRise yeast because it cuts the rise time quite a bit.  I got this recipe at http://www.breadworld.com/.  Happy Cooking!

Skillet Biscuit Bread

2 cups unbleached self-rising flour
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine four, buttermilk and oil in a large bowl; stir with a fork to combine.  Do not overmix.  With floured hands, gently knead dough in bowl to form a ball; dough will be sticky.  Generously oil a straight-sided, heavy 8- or 9-inch skillet and set over medium heat.  Pat dough into skillet.

Cook over medium heat until set and browned in spots on the bottom, 7 to 8 minutes.  Using a spatula, slide or lift onto a plate.  Invert into skillet and cook until other side is browned in spots and bread is thoroughly cooked, 5 to 6 minutes.  Transfer to a plate and cut into wedges.  Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.  Serves 8.

My notes:

I used powdered buttermilk.  I added a couple pinches of salt...just seemed like something was going to be missing if I didn't.  I think I overmixed just slightly and one side was a little tough.  Be careful with the mixing and kneading and don't overdo.

This may well become the new family from-scratch biscuit recipe.  I have tried lots of biscuit recipes and have yet to find one that I was pleased with...until now.  It makes one big huge biscuit and it's GREAT and SO EASY!

Buttery Honey Cake

This came from my Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Desserts cookbook that Erica got me.  Kennedy decided she wanted to make a birthday cake for Jesus this year.  Bake?  Cook?  I'm ALL in!  Immediately I figured it would be a great opportunity to a) eat birthday cake for breakfast, b) have breakfast cooked in advance, and c) start a new family tradition.  So, I started looking for a "cake" recipe that was suitable for breakfast and would, at the same time, suffice for a "birthday cake" in the kids' minds.  After all, there is no rule that says it couldn't be a COFFEE cake.  Right?  Kennedy helped me to look through cookbooks and this is the one we finally decided on.  It was delicious!!!  We served it with a side of fruit and a dallop of cool whip.  We even stuck a big, fat candle in it, lit it, sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, and let the kids blow it out!  GOOD TIMES!

1 box (18.25 ounce) classic yellow cake mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup margarine, melted

1/3 cup poppy seeds

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour 10-inch round cake pan with 2-inch sides.

2. Combine cake mix, water, 1/3 cup of honey, margarine, poppy seeds, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice in large bowl.  Beat for 2 minutes or until well blended.  Pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes.  Invert cake onto cooling rack and cool completely.

4. Using wooden or metal skewer, poke about 20 small holes all over top of cake.  Drizzle the 1/4 cup of honey over cake, allowing honey to sink into holes.  Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar.

My notes:

I didn't have a 10-inch pan with 2-inch sides.  I used 2 9-inch pans with 1-inch sides and stacked 'em.  I poked holes in one cake, drizzled with honey and then did the same thing to a second layer.

I substituted butter for margarine.

I poked about 40 holes with the wooden skewer.  I didn't measure the honey I drizzled on the cake.  I had honey in a squeeze bottle and figured I could just eyeball it and get pretty close.  So, I just squeezed until it looked right to me.  (o: