Baked Oatmeal Cups

Today on this beautiful, sunny Southern California day, I decided to take some time in the kitchen to prepare some healthier snacks and some quick, easy and healthy breakfasts to grab on the go for those mornings when we just can't seem to get it together in time to eat or pack healthy snacks before we leave for work. Honestly, that doesn't happen to me very often, because I am always sure to make time to eat. I mean, seriously....I have my priorities straight ;)
Anyway, I bagged up individual snack size bags of nuts and dried fruits for work. I made enough to last a month. Woo Hoo! Then I made these yummy baked oatmeal cups. These are going to be my new favorite "go to" in a hurry breakfast. They are so easy to throw together and I love that you can put different toppings on each one, so they can be individualized for everyone in your family. Next time I make them, I would spray the cupcake liners with Pam, because they stuck just a little bit, but other than that, I would say they turned out perfect.

This is what they looked like just before going into the oven

This is right after they came out of the oven. Look at all that wonderful fruit and delicious chocolate chip goodness!

Recipe Source: http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/personal-sized-baked-oatmeal-with-individual-toppings-gluten-free-diabetic-friendly/

Yield: 22 muffins

2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups applesauce, unsweetened
½ cup banana, mashed
½ cup honey or blue agave syrup
5 cups, rolled oats
2 Tbsp flax seed meal
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2¼ cups lowfat milk (you can use your preference of milk)

Optional toppings:cranberries, frozen fruit, chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°
Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana and honey together in a bowl.
Add in oats, flax, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and mix well with wet ingredients.
Pour in milk and stir until well combined.
Pour mixture evenly into muffin tin cups lined with cupcake liners. (I suggest spraying the liners with Pam)
If using toppings add them onto the tops of muffins now.
Bake 30 minutes until a toothpick in center comes out clean.
Cool and enjoy or freeze them in gallon freezer bags.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

I wish that you could smell these muffins through the picture. It smells just like Fall. Oh how I wish it was fall. I just got impatient, sitting around in these hot temps, waiting for Fall so I could cook and bake with pumpkin. So when I went to my  mom's house which is in a much cooler climate than mine, I decided to whip these up for her. The house smelled heavenly and oh  my goodness, these taste amazing! Bring on Fall, I'm ready for pumpkin ANYTHING! In the meantime, I might just keep trying to pretend that it's not 100° outside and the oven would not be in competition with the air conditioning, and make these a dozen more times!

Recipe Source: http://sugarcooking.blogspot.com/2010/10/pumpkin-cheesecake-muffins.html

For the filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar

For the muffins:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

For the topping:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp cold butter, cut into very small pieces

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°

1. To prepare the filling, combine all the filling ingredients and mix well until blended and smooth. Set aside.
2. To make the muffins, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Place paper liners into your muffin pan.
3. To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
4. To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with batter. Add about 1 Tbsp of filling on top. Sprinkle with topping. Bake 18-20 minutes. 

Apple Fritters

So I know this picture is a really cruddy picture, but this is what happens when you go to visit/take care of your mom and she has no camera and you forgot your own! So I had to rely on my camera phone (which is barely standing on it's last leg at this point.) The picture might be cruddy, but these apple fritters definitely were not. They are moist, super sweet and sinfully delicious! I'm glad they are now left at my mom's house so there will be no temptation around this house. I don't know if I could actually withstand that temptation.

Recipe Source: http://www.thepickyapple.com/blog/2008/02/11/apple-fritters/

Fritter:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup chopped apple

Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons milk

 Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.  Stir in milk and egg until just combined and moistened.  Fold in the chopped apple.  Pour oil into skillet so that it is approximately 1 1/2 deep.  Heat oil on high.  Oil is ready when dough floats to top.  Carefully add dough to oil in heaping teaspoons.  Don't put too many in the pan at once or it brings down the oil temperature considerably. Cook until brown, about 2 minutes, then flip.  Cook another 1-2 minutes, until both sides are browned.  Transfer briefly to paper towels to absorb excess oil, then transfer to cooling rack.  Make glaze by stirring milk and powdered sugar together in a small bowl.  Drizzle over apple fritters.  Wait approximately 3 minutes for glaze to harden, then flip fritters and drizzle glaze over the other side.  Best served warm.

Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins with Peanut Butter Glaze

Call me strange, but I am just one of those people that is tempted by batter of any kind. When I was mixing this batter this morning, I wanted to take a spoon and eat it all and make up some lame excuse for not having muffins to bring to work. I'm sure that would have worked, but I'm not sure I could have come up with a valid excuse for the 10 lbs I gained overnight haha!
So, I was a good girl and resisted the temptation and actually brought them to work to share. It's a good thing because I would have been too tempted to eat them if they stayed at my house. They are definitely yummy and I can't wait to make them again!

 Adapted from:
http://www.kaitlininthekitchen.com/2010/03/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-muffins.html

For the Muffins:

2 1/4 cups Flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup sugar

6 Tablespoons Butter (melted and cooled slightly)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (you can use crunchy or smooth)

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375°

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar and regular sugar. In a mixing bowl, mix the melted butter, peanut butter, eggs, and milk until combined. (The peanut butter may still be a bit clumpy....that's ok)

Mix the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture and stir until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 375° for 9-11 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
* Makes 51 mini muffins

*If you want to make regular size muffins, increase the baking time to 17-20 minutes.

For the Peanut Butter Glaze:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sifted powered sugar

In a small saucepan, heat the peanut butter, milk and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sifted powdered sugar. Stir it together well until a glaze forms. 

Dip the top of each muffin into the glaze. (You might need to gently reheat the glaze a few times to re-melt it down. I had to do this 3 times in the process of making these. Be sure to do this on low heat and only for a few seconds until it smooths back out)
Set aside to allow the glaze to firm up. Place a chocolate chip on the top of each muffin.

Chocolate Coconut Rolls

Waking up super early  has it's benefits, but it also has it's drawbacks. One of the drawbacks is that I tend to want to bake when there is nothing else to do and I still have HOURS to get ready for work. Unfortunately, with me being on a whole foods eating plan, these bad boys were not on my food list of "can have" foods. Big bummer, cause they certainly looked and smelled delicious. Judging from reactions at work, I would have to guess they were pretty darn good. They got eaten right up and there was none left to bring home. So if you have a little bit of extra time on your hands and want something super quick and very easy to satisfy a sweet tooth, then this just  might be the recipe you are looking for!

 Recipe adapted from:
http://www.bakerella.com/chocolate-swirl-biscuits/

For the dough:

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp cold butter, cut into very small pieces
3/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

For the filling:

3 Tbsp butter, softened (not melted)
2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup toasted coconut

1 cup almonds, chopped (you can substitute your favorite nut)

 

For the topping:

 
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp coconut milk
sugar (for sprinkling on the top of the rolls) 

Preheat oven to 400°

Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. 

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until blended. 

Use a pastry blender (or you can use your fingers) and work the butter into the dry ingredients until it is a crumbly texture. 

Add the coconut milk and almond extract and stir with a fork until a sticky dough forms. 

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Flour your hands and shape the dough into a ball. Gently knead it 10 times. 

Lightly flour the counter that you kneaded the dough on and use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a 13 x 11 rectangle.  

Now toast your coconut by placing 3/4 cup coconut on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in your preheated oven and monitor it carefully. It should only take a few minutes for the coconut to become a nice toasty golden brown. Remove from the  oven when it's golden brown. Set aside.

Spread softened butter completely over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle sugar, chocolate chips,  toasted coconut, and chopped almonds, all over the buttered dough. 

Roll the dough up in a jelly roll fashion, from the long side, and cut the roll into 12 equal sections. 

Place the cut sections 2 inches apart on your greased cookie sheet. 

To make the topping: Mix together 1 egg yolk and coconut milk in a small bowl. Brush onto the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle sugar all over the tops. 

Bake for about 18 minutes or until golden.