Muffins

There are several occasions throughout the year when I am scrambling to put together a brunch menu, Easter, Christmas, etc. One staple item I always have is some sort of breakfast loaf. I love making breakfast loaves because I can have them done the day before, giving me one less thing to worry about the morning I am entertaining. This glazed almond poppy seed loaf is a classic recipe. It is super simple (you literally throw all the ingredients in a bowl and mix) and goes with everything from a simple cup of joe, to a full brunch spread.

Note: This batter works great for almond poppy seed muffins too. Just follow the directions as written but use greased muffin pans instead of bread pans and bake for 18–23 minutes.

BREAD INGREDIENTS
3 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 1/4 c cooking oil
2 1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 c milk
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

GLAZE INGREDIENTS
1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp water
1 1/2–2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c sliced almonds (optional)

STEPS

Preheat oven to 350º.
Mix all of the bread ingredients together.
Pour the batter into greased 2 loaf pans.
Bake for 50–60 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted comes out almost clean. (I like my bread moist so I pull it out when the toothpick still has a little bit of crumbly residue on it. A totally clean toothpick will mean a dryer loaf.)
After removing the loaves from the oven, place the sliced almonds on a baking sheet and roast them for 3 minutes or until they just start to turn a golden color.
Allow loaves to sit for 15 minutes after removing from the oven.
Gently remove loaves from pans and place on a cutting board or cooling rack to cool.
Once the bread has completely cooled, combine the melted butter, almond extract, vanilla, water, and powdered sugar in a bowl and whisk until smooth. (Start with 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and add more as needed to get desired consistency. I like mine slightly runny so it drips down the sides when drizzling over the bread.)
Drizzle the frosting over the bread and then immediately sprinkle with the roasted sliced almonds.

The last couple of weeks I have had some beautiful apples in my produce boxes. Not quite enough to make applesauce or an apple pie though. So I thought, why not try to whip up some apple pie muffins! This recipe calls for brown sugar rather than any white sugar giving them a rich caramel apple flavor. These are not your typical light and fluffy muffins, they are actually dense and really moist, sort of like a pound cake. A perfect treat to enjoy during chilly fall mornings with a big cup of joe. Not that we have had any mornings like that this season in California though. My Halloween decorations are up and I don’t think we have had a day under 90º. This girl is ready to break out her scarves and boots! Nonetheless, I will continue pretending like it’s fall weather when cooking in my kitchen. This weekend I am headed up to Apple Hill for our annual family pumpkin picking trip where I will be sure to get a big bag of apples. My next mission, crock-pot applesauce!

Note: This recipe makes one dozen delicious muffins.

TOPPING INGREDIENTS
1/2 c brown sugar
7 tbsp flour
1/4 c butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon

MUFFIN INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2/3 c oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c sour cream
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 c diced apples

STEPS

Preheat oven to 350º.
Grease your muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups.
In a small bowl combine all topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.
In a large bowl mix together sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, and sour cream.
In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Slowly stir the flour mixture into the batter until combined.
Add the diced apples mixing until evenly distributed.
Distribute the batter among the 12 muffin tins. It’s okay if they are fairly full. These do not swell up really big.
Generously sprinkle the muffins with the topping.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5–8 minutes before removing and then transfer to a cooling rack or cutting board.