Category Archives: Muffins, Biscuits, Scones

Gingerbread Scones

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Christmas would not be Christmas without any gingerbread treats. And these gingerbread scones, topped with coarse sugar that adds a nice sparkly touch, are definitely a treat–especially for breakfast or brunch. They’re not really sweet enough to be considered a dessert scone, but they have a rich gingerbread flavor and are great in the morning with some coffee or tea.

I just saw the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas and it’s the perfect movie for this time of year! It’s about how Charles Dickens came to write his much-loved classic, A Christmas Carol. It will certainly get you in the holiday mood, kind of like how eating gingerbread-flavored things can get you in a holiday mood. Hmmm…I wonder if Dickens happened to have any gingerbread scones as he was writing his story?

GINGERBREAD SCONES by NancyC

Makes 8 large scones

  • 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 1/2 Tablespoons light or dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, separated
  • Coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In large bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a medium size bowl, mix the molasses, milk, vanilla, and egg yolk (save the egg white for later). Stir this mixture into the crumbly flour mixture, forming a crumbly dough.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead about 6 times. Pat into an 8-inch circle on prepared baking sheet, then cut into 8 wedges (if you don’t want the wedges to bake together, separate them by about an inch on the baking sheet).

Beat egg white well, until foamy, and brush over scones. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake at 350˚F for 20 to 22 minutes, until set. If you hadn’t separated the scones on the baking sheet, they will have baked together, so you can slice them where you had cut them before baking. Serve scones warm or let cool.

Have you made any gingerbread goodies this season? Or have you seen the Dickens movie?

Sharing at Happiness is Homemade, Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday, Fiesta Friday, Thursday Favorite Things, Full Plate Thursday.

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Cranberry Pecan Muffins

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I’ve been so glad to see fresh cranberries at the grocery store these past few weeks! I just had to make something with fresh cranberries and muffins seemed like a good idea. I added some orange extract to give these muffins a subtle orange flavor. You could also add some orange zest if you wanted to.

These muffins bake up with nice rounded tops and have lots of cranberries and pecans in every bite! These are great for a Thanksgiving or Christmas breakfast or brunch, or for anytime in the fall or winter, for that matter. They also make a nice snack or dessert if you’re wanting something a little less sweet. You could probably substitute dried cranberries for the fresh, but I’ve always made these with fresh–I like their slightly sweet, tart flavor!

CRANBERRY PECAN MUFFINS by NancyC

Makes 24 muffins

  • 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon pure orange extract
  • Optional: 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries (or substitute dried cranberries)
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.

In large bowl, blend flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In medium bowl, mix milk, butter, orange extract, and eggs. Add this mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined, then fold in chopped cranberries and pecans and stir until evenly distributed in batter (be careful not to overmix). Batter will be thick!

Spoon batter into the lined muffin cups. Bake at 350˚F for 22 to 25 or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool muffins in pans for a few minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack, or serve warm.

Do you have your Thanksgiving menu planned out? Are you making anything with fresh cranberries for your special meal? Whatever your plans are, have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Let us be thankful…. HEBREWS 12:28

Sharing at Happiness is Homemade, Inspire Me Monday, Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday, Fiesta Friday.

Blueberry Cornbread Muffins

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Cornbread and cornbread muffins remind me of fall. Maybe because chili reminds me of fall too–and chili and cornbread go together so well. It’s officially fall now, but I wanted to give a last nod to summer by adding a summery element to these cornbread muffins–fresh blueberries! The blueberries give this slightly-sweet cornbread a great flavor. And the corn kernels help make the muffins good and moist. These muffins are actually great any time of the year. Serve them for breakfast or for a snack later in the day!

BLUEBERRY CORNBREAD MUFFINS by NancyC

Makes 17 muffins

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen (and thawed) corn kernels
  • Optional: granulated or coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top of muffins

Preheat oven to 350″F. Line muffin tins with 17 paper muffin liners.

In large bowl, blend the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In medium size bowl, blend melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir this buttermilk/egg mixture into the flour mixture, mixing everything well. Fold in the blueberries and corn. Lightly sprinkle tops of muffins with sugar, if desired.

Fill each muffin liner 2/3 to 3/4 full and bake at 350˚F for 16 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in muffin tin for about 5 minutes, then remove muffins and cool completely on wire rack.

Fall really came up fast for me this year, how about you? What types of goodies do you like to bake to welcome in the fall season?

Sharing at Fiesta Friday, Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Happiness is Homemade.

Chocolate Chip Scones

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Chocolate Chip Scones @ NancyCThe first time I had these scones, they were made by Priscilla. She brought them to work as a snack for a co-worker’s birthday, and they were really good. She had made them with dried fruit and everyone wanted the recipe. The second time I had these scones, Brenda had made them and brought them into work. She had been craving chocolate, so she decided to try them with chocolate chips instead of dried fruit. And of course, they tasted just as wonderful.

I decided to try these scones with chocolate chips, too– those mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, because you get more bits of chocolate in every bite! They’re a great treat for breakfast and they even make a great dessert–or a snack in the afternoon!

CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES by NancyC, adapted from a recipe by Priscilla T.

  • 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (note: instead of chocolate chips, you can substitute dried fruit and/or chopped nuts)

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream or Greek yogurt and baking soda; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in butter using a pastry blender.

Stir the sour cream or yogurt mixture and then the egg into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead briefly. Roll or pat dough into a round 10″ disc that is 3/4″ thick. Cut into wedges and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350˚F for 17 to 20 minutes, until lightly golden. Serve warm or let cool completely.

These scones have a great texture–they’re a little moist, but not too moist. They’re sweet, but not too sweet. I think they’re best when they’re warm from the oven, but they’re pretty good when they’ve cooled, too. You can’t go wrong with these scones! I think they’re one of my favorites. Do you like making scones? What’s your favorite kind to make?

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Cranberry Sauce Muffins

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Cranberry Sauce Muffins @ NancyC

If you happen to have any extra cranberry sauce left over from the holidays, here’s a good recipe you can use it in (if you don’t, keep this in mind for next year 🙂 ). These Cranberry Sauce Muffins are sweetened with brown sugar and whole berry cranberry sauce–you can use your own homemade cranberry sauce, like this Fresh Cranberry Sauce)–or you can use whole berry cranberry sauce from a can. These muffins have some oats in them, too, so they’re both healthy and tasty! Sometimes I add a Cranberry Sauce Glaze on top of these muffins but they are great with or without the glaze, so if you’re watching your calories, just leave the glaze off. They taste great right out of the oven, spread with a little butter or Cranberry–Pecan Cream Cheese Spread. Yum!

CRANBERRY SAUCE MUFFINS by NancyC, adapted from Serious Eats

Makes 16 muffins

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup canola oil or light olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce (I use either my homemade recipe or the Ocean Spray® brand)
  • 1 large egg

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line 16 muffin tins with paper baking cups.

In large bowl, blend together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In medium bowl, combine milk, oil, cranberry sauce and egg; blend well.

Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients all at once and stir until dry ingredients are moistened.

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 (or just a little more) full. Bake 20 minutes at 400˚F, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. You can eat these warm right out of the oven…spread with a little butter or Cranberry-Pecan Cream Cheese Spread. Or, let the muffins cool completely and top them with this glaze…

CRANBERRY SAUCE GLAZE 

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons milk or half and half
  • 1 Tablespoon Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
  • chopped pecans for sprinkling over glaze

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and milk (or half and half) together, blending well. Stir in the cranberry sauce and blend well. Drizzle over cooled muffins, then sprinkle with pecans if desired. Let glaze set and then serve.

This is a great muffin for fall and winter when you’re craving that great cranberry flavor. And it’s always nice to bake muffins and other goodies when it’s cold outside! What have you been baking this winter?

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