No More “Muffin Top” Muffin Tops

4 Comments | Written on July 15, 2011 at 5:00 am , by Kristina Vanni

Muffin Tops….it’s a love/hate relationship.

The hip hangover from a pair of tight jeans?  No thanks.  The top half of baked good perfection?  YUM.

If you are a muffin aficionado like myself, you will love these innovative “Muffin Top Pans.”  Why waste time with the bottom half, when the best part is above?  This pan bakes just the muffin tops!

The downside of muffins?  They can often be packed with calories and fat, thus over time leading to the unfortunate “muffin top.”  That’s why I decided to create these No More “muffin top” Muffin Tops!  They are packed with whole wheat flour and rolled oats for fiber, while mashed bananas keep the muffin tops moist.  I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spread is used instead of butter, and a can of chocolate Slim-fast adds flavor and protein without extra calories.

Here is another great tip when you want to add flavor and hint in decadence without additional calories and fat.  If you want to use an “indulgent” item, say chocolate chips or cheese in a recipe, sprinkle a small amount on top of the dish instead of mixing it into the recipe.  Here I tossed a few mini chocolate chips on top of the muffins.  They look simply sinful, but there is only a 1/4 cup used in the entire recipe!

CHOCOLATE-BANANA MUFFIN TOPS

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray (original)

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup old fashioned or quick cooking rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)

2 eggs

2/3 cup Chocolate Slim-Fast

1/3 cup I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spread (original), melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray muffin top pans with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray; set aside.  Combine flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl; set aside.  Combine bananas, eggs, Chocolate Slim-Fast, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spread and vanilla in medium bowl.  Stir into flour mixture just until combined.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin top pans, mounding slightly.  Top with mini chocolate chips.  Bake 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes on wire rack; remove from pan and cool completely.

Holiday Favorites Week 4 “Pumpkin” Winner

2 Comments | Written on November 16, 2010 at 5:00 am , by Kristina Vanni

High five to our latest ‘Holiday Favorites’ weekly winner, Lorie Roach!  She is an award-winning foodie and blogger and her pumpkin recipe simply blew us away.

Lorie says, “I enter recipe contests on a regular basis.  It’s been a wonderful hobby and I have made lots of friends because of it.  I went to my first cook-off in 2005 and I’ve been hooked ever since.  This year I’ve been thrilled to have been invited to several cook-offs.  In March I took the Grand Prize at the Rippin’ Ribs Cook-off sponsored by Gnarly Head Wines, I placed second at Beringer’s Great Steak Challenge in San Antonio in August, and I went to Hollywood in September as one of five finalists in the Mission Menus Challenge.”

Very impressive!  To learn more about the delicious life of this Southern bell, check our her blog “Rice and Beans and Other Fine Things.”

How did you come up with your recipe?

“I love scones and I have a great recipe for making a scone dough with cream cheese in it.  I added some pumpkin, spices and toasted pecans, and topped it off with a sweet honey glaze.  The end result was a hit!  Those warm spices are pretty hard to resist when they’re combined with pumpkin and toasted pecans.   Scones are comfort food and perfect for the holiday season.”

I love scones as well and this recipe was absolute perfection!  What made you decide to enter the Better Recipes weekly recipe contest?

“Well, I love the website.  It’s full of delicious recipes.  And when I saw the pumpkin theme, I immediately had an idea of what I could enter.  That’s usually a good sign for me–no struggle in my mind!”

So glad to hear you love the site!  What are your plans for the prize money?

“It will definitely be used for Christmas shopping!  Couldn’t have come at a better time.”

Very true!  We could all use some extra cash this time of year.  What are some of your favorite holiday tradtions and memories?

“For the last several years, my husband and I smoke our Thanksgiving turkeys.  The flavor is unbelieveable and they always turn out really moist.  I love my mom’s giblet gravy, and my grandmother’s dressing.  (You can tell I live in the South because we call it dressing, not stuffing!) I always make an Italian Cream Cake and lots of candy around Christmas.  I have many great memories of Christmases when I was a child, but what I’m really excited about is this coming Christmas.  My grandson will be 1 1/2 years old then and it should be fun!  And I can’t wait to get him cooking in the kitchen with me.”

That’s wonderful!  I think I am going to have to smoke my turkey next year!  If you are inspired by Lorie’s big win, then make sure to enter your best “Thanksgiving Dessert” this week.

PUMPKIN SCONES WITH STICKY HONEY GLAZE

Cream cheese, pumpkin, and a blend of classic spices are the key to these fall inspired scones. Serve warm with a butter, honey and brown sugar glaze and chopped pecans.

Ingredients

Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 large eggs
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
The zest of one orange
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1 egg, beaten

Glaze:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and 1/3 cup light brown sugar. Cut in butter, using fingertips or pastry cutter, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, the softened cream cheese, the pumpkin and the orange zest until incorporated. Mixture will be lumpy. Add cream cheese mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Add pecans and stir just enough to evenly distribute pecans. Drop dough into 12 equal mounds on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray, about 1 inch apart. Brush tops with the beaten egg. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. About 5 minutes before scones come out of the oven, make the glaze. Place 1/2 cup light brown sugar, the honey and 4 tablespoons butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil stirring often. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. When scones come out of oven, place them on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Drizzle with the glaze. Sprinkle the tops with 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans.

Number of Servings:  12

Better Recipes “Cook Of The Week” Anne P.!

2 Comments | Written on July 27, 2010 at 5:00 am , by Kristina Vanni

Get ready for some fANNEtastic food with Anne P.!  Our “Cook of the Week” is a blogger who shares her secrets to living a healthy and delicious life.

How did you become interested in healthy cooking?  What made you decide to start your blog?

“I didn’t really get interested in cooking until after college! At first, I relied a lot on frozen meals and dinners out, but I knew that wasn’t the healthiest (or most cost effective) approach. Slowly, I started reading food blogs and cookbooks, picking up tips, and being more adventurous in the kitchen. I was surprised to find that not only was cooking easier than I’d thought, but it was fun, too! As I got more into cooking and healthy eating, I started having friends ask for my recipes – and thus, fANNEtastic food was born! I love writing and photography as well as cooking, so a blog just made perfect sense.”

I see you have lived and traveled all over the globe.  How do your travel experiences influence your cooking?

“I lived in Prague from 2008-2009 teaching English, and that was when I really started getting into cooking for myself. I wasn’t a big fan of the restaurants there, so that really motivated me! I learned how to put together delicious, but very simple (and quick) meals, since I couldn’t understand any of the Czech food labels at the store! I once bought sour cream, thinking it was yogurt… that was quite a shock!”

What are some of your tips for healthy cooking?  Do you have any advice to share with Better Recipes?

“I’m a huge fan of substitutions in recipes! One of my favorite things to do is to take a recipe and modify it in a healthier (but still tasty) way. In particular, I always use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or mayo (check out my Healthy Deviled Eggs, Chicken Salad, and Tuna Salad recipes!).

I also love making healthy muffins! Muffins are normally very heavy and calorie-laden sugar bombs, but with a few easy swaps, they can become a delicious and nutritious snack or breakfast. Here are some of my favorite muffin modifications.”

• Whole wheat pastry flour instead of white flour (pastry flour has a much softer, less dense texture than regular whole wheat flour)
• Applesauce, Greek yogurt, canned pumpkin, or canned sweet potato instead of oil (these keeps the muffins nice and moist without the extra calories and fat!)
• Adding super ripe mashed bananas to the batter for sweetness and decreasing the amount of regular sugar
• Adding in nuts or ground flaxseed to increase the nutritional profile

Thanks so much, Anne!  Today is all about MUFFIN MADNESS.  Check out three of Anne’s favorite healthy muffin recipes.

Pumpkin Muffins (or Bread) of Deliciousness

“Yum! These have a great flavor, the perfect amount of sweetness, and a nice, soft texture. Nutritious, too!”

Ingredients:

Dry:

1.5 C whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Wet:

1 C canned pumpkin
1/2 C raisins (or chocolate chips)
1/4 C nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites (this is equal to 1/3 C liquid egg whites from a carton)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In two separate bowls, mix dry, then wet, and then combine, adding wet to dry and stirring gently until the mixture is uniform-ish.

Depending if you are making bread or muffins, either spoon the mixture into a non-stick (or sprayed with PAM) muffin tray or bread pan. Don’t forget to sprinkle some raw oats on top to make ‘em look pretty!

Pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes (for muffins) or 75 minutes (for bread) and do a fork check near the end to test done-ness.

ENJOY!

Sweet Potato Cranberry Coconut Muffins

“These are not only soft and delicious, but healthy – no butter or oil and packed with nutrition from the whole wheat flour, flax, sweet potato, etc! Great flavor combination, too.”

Ingredients:

Dry:

1.5 C whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C finely ground flax
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Wet:

1 C canned pureed sweet potato
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/4 C nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/4 C skim milk
1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
1/4 C unsweetened coconut
2 eggs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In two separate bowls, mix dry, then wet, and then combine, adding wet to dry and stirring gently until the mixture is uniform-ish.

Spoon the mixture into a cooking-sprayed or nonstick muffin tin. Add some extra unsweetened coconut on top of the muffins

Scrambled Egg Muffins

“These are easy, healthy, and incredibly delicious. Not to mention cute! Make them for a brunch party or enjoy them as an easy on-the-go breakfast, lunch, or dinner.”

Ingredients:

9 eggs
1/2 C chopped fresh spinach
1/3 C skim milk
1/3 C spelt flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/4 C 2% grated cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 small tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

Instructions:

*Preheat oven to 350.

1) Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk.

2) Add the rest of your ingredients and mix it all together!

3) Add spoonfuls of the mixture to a cooking sprayed or nonstick muffin tin. I used a 1/4 C measuring cup to transfer it since it’s very liquid-y!

4) Pop them in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Fork check to make sure they are done.

Voila!