Vegan Banana Pumpkin Muffins


Preheat oven to 375F.  Line jumbo muffin tins with paper cups or grease well with PAM spray.

Ingredients

1 15oz Can of Libby's Pumpkin
5 Ripe Bananas
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Canola Oil
2 TBSP Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

Beat the bananas in a mixer or mash by hand.  Add canned pumpkin, sugar, and oil and blend well.  Add apple cider vinegar and incorporate.  Mix dry ingredients separately and then gently add to wet mixture by mixing on low or stirring by hand just until no flour is visible.  Optional:  Sprinkle chopped nuts mixed with cinnamon and brown sugar on top!

Fill muffin cups till almost full.  At high altitude, bake at 375 for 10 minutes and lower to 350 for remaining 12-15 minutes.  At sea level, bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Remove muffins from tins to cool on a wire rack after sitting for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Raspberry & Blueberry Cream Cheese Cake

4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sour cream
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs


Mix dry ingredients in one bowl. Beat butter and sugar until well blended and light & fluffy. Add eggs & vanilla and blend well.







Alternate dry ingredients within sour cream. Start with one third flour mixture, one half of sour cream, then one third flour, last half sour cream, last third four.








Fold in cream cheese & fruit. Bake in 2-8 inch pans greased well. 350 Degrees / 30 min.

Strawberry or Blueberry Cream Muffins

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sour cream
2 cups berries ( fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line jumbo muffin tins with paper cups or grease well with cooking spray like PAM.

Mix flour, baking soda, salt and set aside.  Beat eggs lightly, add oil, then add sugar.  Beat until blended well.  Then add eggs and vanilla and beat again.  Gradually add the flour mixture alternating with the sour cream in 3 parts flour/2 parts sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.  Do not overbeat.  Fold in fresh or frozen berries.  Fill muffin cups almost to the top to get a nice rounded muffin top.

Bake at 375 for the first ten minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Check center of muffins with a toothpick to ensure they are cooked all the way through.

Makes 12 jumbo muffins.  Eat in two days or freeze up to three weeks.

Seven layer bars

Another one bowl wonder! Great for bringing to a BBQ at your friend's house. This is a serious crowd pleaser.

1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 bag chocolate chips (11.5 oz)
1 bag butterscotch chips (11.5oz)
1 bag of sweetened flaked coconut (7 oz)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 325 for convection or 350 for conventional oven. Melt butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs. Spread on the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch pan in an even layer. Layer all ingredients in order listed and pop it in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until center has a golden brown hue.
Voila! It's that easy. Make sure you cool the bars completely before cutting so that the layers stay nice and even.

Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been searching for the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe until now.  I've found it.  I am so satisfied and pleased that I had to share it with you all!  This recipe is courtesy of The New York Times.

Dry Ingredients
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1-2/3 cups bread flour
1-1/4 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp coarse salt

Wet Ingredients
2-1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1-1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 lbs at least 60% cacao chocolate chips
Sea salt for sprinkling

- Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Set aside. Tip:  You may add in a teaspoon of cinnamon to give it some extra flavor.
- Using an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until very light making sure there is no sugar stuck to the bottom or sides of bowl
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each is added
- Add in the vanilla
- Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined and then add chocolate chips
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease a cookie sheet.  Tip:  Using a lighter colored metal cookie sheet will yield better results.
- Use your hands to form balls of dough about the size of golf balls. Bake off cookies with ample room for them to spread for about 15 minutes or until edges are set and golden brown.  The middle of the cookies may seem slightly underdone but they will set up as they cool.
- Cool on sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Keep stored in a cool dry place in an air tight container.  You may freeze excess for up to one month wrapped in a freezer bag.

Southern Lemon Squares

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

4 eggs
2 cups of sugar
2 lemons

Preheat Conventional Oven to 350 degrees, Convection Oven 325 degrees

Mix butter, flour, and powdered sugar well. Press evenly in bottom of 9" by 9"square pan and bake for 20 minutes.



Beat four eggs and 2 cups of sugar well or until light yellow in color. Then add juice of 2 lemons through a strainer and mix well.

Pour over baked crust and bake for another 20 minutes or until set.

Banana Muffins w/ Crumb Topping



Marika's Banana Muffins w/ Crumb Topping

Ingredients


Wet
7 ripe bananas (very yellow with lots of dark speckles)
2 sticks melted butter
2 cups of granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla






Dry
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Getting started...Preheat oven to 350 degrees for a convection oven or 375 for a conventional oven.   Prepare a 12 cup jumbo muffin tin by lining with paper baking cups or by greasing them very well with vegetable spray.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together and set aside. 

In another large bowl, using a mixer with a paddle attachment, a hand mixer, or a very strong hand, mash bananas until they are a creamy consistency.  Then add sugar and blend well.  Slowly pour melted butter into banana/sugar mix while mixer is running on slow or while stirring.  Add vanilla and eggs one at a time blending well after each addition.

Add flour mix to wet mix in two parts, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula in between.  Mix until blended completely, but be careful to not over mix!  Fill prepared muffin cups almost to the top leaving just a 1/2 inch of space.  Sprinkle crumb topping on each, lightly pressing the crumb topping into the batter with your hands.

Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until muffins look set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Crumb Topping (Optional)
1 1/4 cups of flour
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 stick melted butter

Mix flour and light brown sugar with a fork until blended thoroughly and no large chunks of sugar remain.  Add melted butter and form crumbs with a spoon or your hands.

Baking Tip:  Allowing eggs to sit out until room temperature allows them to blend better with the other ingredients making for a better product!