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Smores Muffins

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To me, nothing says ‘summer’ quite like a good ol’ S’more. With all the cold we’re having (it’s Texas, for crying out loud!), I really needed to at least FEEL like winter was about over. Back to my muffin addiction, and Viola! You’ve got delicious (and fast because, hey, mornings are rushed enough) S’mores Muffins!

S'mores Muffins / www.BusyMomsHelper.com

 

Okay, so chocolate and marshmallow MAY not be the healthiest breakfast, but they can’t be too far from the sugary cereal or poptarts I could do, right? They sure taste better, though! I also use them for a great snack; they get their ‘sweet’ fix, but it’s healthier than many of the other options.

S'mores Muffins / www.BusyMomsHelper.com

Yield: 12 Muffins

Ingredients

  • 6 tbsp. Butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
  • 8 tsp. Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 6 tbsp. Milk
  • 2/3 cup Sour Cream
  • 1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup Chocolate Chips (I used mini)
  • 1/2 cup Mini Marshmallows

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F. Spray or line a 12-cup muffin tin.
  2. Use the fork to ‘smoosh’ the Butter and Sugars together. Stir in the Egg, Milk and Sour Cream.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix the Flour, Graham Crumbs, Salt, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Cinnamon. Add to the Butter mixture until well-mixed. Carefully stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Fill the muffin cups 1/4 of the way full of batter (just barely covering the bottom). Add some marshmallows, about 3-5. Top with more batter until 3/4 of the way full.
  5. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until cooked through. If you use the toothpick trick, remember that it may be done but still come out with melted chocolate chips or marshmallows. Don’t overcook!

S'mores Muffins / www.BusyMomsHelper.com

 

What are YOUR favorite type of muffins?

Super Quick Beignets

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Guys, seriously, thank you SO MUCH for your patience while we’re working out all the kinks on our new site/design. I know I’m not posting as regularly, but promise there’s lots of fun to come…such as these Super Quick Beignets!

Super Quick Beignets / Busy Mom's Helper

So Saturday morning’s can get a bit CRAZY here. For one, Hubby and I usual stay up into the wee hours of the morning catching up on work, projects, cleaning, dishes, etc. So Saturday’s are nice to sleep in, unless we have to run get our co-op produce basket at a bright and early 7am. Regardless, it’s hard to get going, especially with breakfast. Muffins are a frequent fix for us, but after trying out these Super Quick Beignets, that were a huge hit and ultra easy, I think these are going to give muffins a run for their money onto our breakfast menu!

Super Quick Beignets / Busy Mom's Helper

Ingredients

  • 2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls (or biscuits, doesn’t matter)
  • 1 Quart Vegetable or Olive Oil (for frying)
  • Powdered Sugar and/or Honey

Super Quick Beignets / Busy Mom's Helper

Directions

  • Heat the Oil in a large pot (or fryer, if you have one). I just used our big pasta pot, which worked fine.
  • Roll out the refrigerated roll dough into strips, cutting in about 1″ squares.
  • When the oil is hot, CAREFULLY put dough squares into the oil and allow it to fry until a golden brown. This only took 1-3 minutes for us, depending on the size of the piece.
  • CAREFULLY remove and place on a paper towel so some of the oil dabs off.
  • Sprinkle with Powdered Sugar and/or Honey. Enjoy warm!

Super Quick Beignets / Busy Mom's Helper

Notes: PLEASE be careful with the hot oil….it splashes easily, so make extra care to keep kids and pets away from the ‘splash’ zone!

Super Quick Beignets / Busy Mom's Helper

 

Apple Strudel Muffins

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It’s raining muffins! Okay, not really, but some morning sit feels like that. My kids eat TONS of them, each, so I make a bunch. At least they’re getting a full belly to start their day off right! We tend to get a lot of apples, so a fun way to use them is making these Apple Strudel Muffins!
Apple Strudel Muffins / Busy Mom's Helper
Ingredients
1 1/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 Egg
3/4 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 cup Applesauce
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 cup All-purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
2-3 Medium Apples, peeled and diced
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray or line a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a bowl, combine the Salt, Cinnamon, Egg, Brown Sugar, Applesauce and Vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix the Flour, Baking Soda and Baking Powder. Add to Applesauce mixture until well combined.
Add just a little of the mixture to each muffin up, about 1 tbsp. Just enough to cover the bottom a bit.
Add the Nutmeg and Apple bits to the remaining mixture until the apple pieces are well covered. Fill the muffin cups the rest of the way.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until done.

For a little extra on top, you can crumble some brown sugar before baking!

 

Caramel Apple Muffins

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So going back to my muffin habit, these are FABULOUS – I mean, look at that caramel. Yumm-o! (I totally just heard Sid from Ice Age Continental Drift) Seriously, though, these Caramel Apple Muffins will have you drooling from baking to eating!
Caramel Apple Muffins / Busy Mom's Helper
Ingredients – Muffins
1 1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
2 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1 Egg
3 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 cup Buttermilk (*see at bottom for a replacement if you don’t have it)
1-2 cups Apple, peeled and chopped small
Caramel Syrup for topping
Ingredients – Crumble Top
1 tbsp. Butter, cold but tiny bit soft
1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
Directions
Use a fork to ‘smoosh’ all of the crumble topping ingredients together. Until crumbly – obviously. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Line or spray a 12-cup muffin pan and set aside.
Save apple for last. Combine the dry muffin ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine the wet muffin ingredients (not caramel). Add to dry bowl and mix until well combined. THEN add the apple, carefully mixing in so it’s well combined.
Fill the muffin cups 3/4 of the way full – or almost all the way if you want them puffy on top like mine. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the muffins.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until muffins are done, springing up when pressed lightly.
Cool for about 15-20 minutes, then drizzle with Caramel topping.
 
*You can use this as a substitute for Buttermilk: 1 cup Milk with 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice OR White Vinegar. Stir, then let sit for 5 minutes.
Caramel Apple Muffins / Busy Mom's Helper

2013 Best of Busy Mom’s Helper Recipes

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Okay all my fellow foodies, this may the list you’ve been waiting for – the 2013 Best of Busy Mom’s Helper Recipes! You clicked on, repinned, and viewed these recipes more than all the others, so they must be AMAZING!
Best of 2013 Series: Main Dishes, Sides & Other Tasty-ness / Busy Mom's Helper
Have I let on how ‘geeky’ my family is? I mean, on here my kids (including Hubby) all go by our superhero names: Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern…..so that should be a pretty good clue. However, my hubby pointed out that I’ve reached a top level of Nerd when we go to a movie and a superhero-type (Avengers, Spiderman, etc.) trailer comes on, and I giggle excitedly like a little school girl. Ya, I’m a nerd.
That being said, I’m DYING now that I’ve seen the 2nd Hobbit movie. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!!! And I can’t just go read the book, because many have pointed out there’s characters and events in the movie that aren’t in the book at all – so if I read it, I’ll just be confused. ARGH!!!
Anywho….I hope you’re all having a fun and relaxing (can ‘motherhood’ and ‘relaxing’ be used in the same sentence without ‘isn’t’?) holiday season! Here’s the 3rd installment in the Busy Mom’s Helper Best of 2013 Series: Main Dishes, Sides & Other Tasty-ness!!!
(these were a guest post at Simply Sweet Home)

What do YOU consider the Best of Busy Mom’s Helper Recipes?

Stay tuned for more in this series:
Recipes (this post)

Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Scones

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Okay, so many of you are, I’m sure, sick of pumpkin already this season. BUT…..my hubby is a pumpkin addict, so I try to do a new pumpkin SOMETHING once per month. He tolerates me always doing chocolate stuff (he doesn’t like chocolate – except brownies. Ya, he’s an odd duck!), so I figure I could be nice occasionally 😉 These Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Scones are so delish, full of pumpkin flavor, not too sweet but just enough, and are so FILLING. Perfect!!!
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
2 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 tsp Salt
1 tbsp. Baking Powder
1 tbsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 cup Butter (1 stick), mostly melted
15 oz. can Pumpkin (not pumpkin PIE)
2 Eggs, large
Additives – I used 1 cup Chocolate Chips & 1 cup Vanilla Chips (see other ideas below)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 tbsp. Cinnamon or more Pumpkin Pie Spice
Directions
Combine all ingredients above EXCEPT Heave Cream & 2 tbsp. Cinnamon/Pie Spice at bottom of ingredient list until well mixed. Dough will be sticky!
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then sprinkle a bit of flour on top.
Divide dough in half. Form two circles on the parchment paper, about 5″ in diameter.
Gently brush the Heavy Cream on top and sides of each circle, then sprinkle with 2 tbsp. Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice. I used cinnamon for this batch. Use a knife to gently cut each circle into 8ths. Wiggle a bit to create just a bit of space – this makes it much easier to slice when finished.
Place baking sheet in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 425 Degrees F. When oven is ready, cook the scones for 20-25 minutes.
Enjoy warm or cool – your choice!
Notes: Other mix-in options could be Cinnamon Chips, Pecans, etc.
Here’s some other delicious Pumpkin Recipes:

Blueberry Lemonade Muffins

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Okay, so some have said I have a bit of a muffin fetish. I’m here to put the record straight – it’s completely TRUE. I really love muffins, especially when they’re just so easy to make, and so easy to vary it up! When doing my meal planning for the week, I almost always have muffins on the menu. Honestly, though, I often don’t decide WHAT muffins until that morning! It’s fun to just see what we’re in the mood for, what ingredients we have, you know – be ‘spontaneous’. On that note – I also love flavored lemonades! So this particular morning, we happen to have some lemons and blueberries, so my choice attempt of the morning: Blueberry Lemonade Muffins!

Ingredients
4 cups Flour
2 tbsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
2 cups Sugar
1 Stick (8 tbsp) Butter, melted
2 1/2 cups Sour Cream
2 tbsp. Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp. Lemon Juice (can be increased/decreased based on your own preference of sour)
3 cups Blueberries

Blueberry Lemonade Muffins / Busy Mom's Helper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Spray two 12-cup muffin tins, or line with baking liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the Flour, Baking Powder and Salt. Add the Blueberries, tossing lightly to coat.

In a separate, medium bowl, whisk the Eggs well, then add the Sugar and continue to whisk briskly until it’s thick and well-incorporated (about 45 seconds). Add the melted Butter, Sour Cream, Lemon Juice and Vanilla; mix until combined.

Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir together carefully. Batter will be very thick.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups.  Bake about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool and ENJOY!!!

Check out these other delish muffin recipes!!!

Simple Spice Muffins

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I’m not a fan of cereal. Now, don’t get me wrong, I would eat all that sugary goodness multiple times a day if calories, cavities and health weren’t a factor. It’s just not the healthiest (at least the kinds my kids enjoy aren’t), and doesn’t keep them full as long. Muffins. Are. Amazing. Seriously! You can take a good base recipe and just switch it up a bit for a whole variety of new flavors. Woohoo for fun breakfast!

So the other day, in a muffin-making mood but wanting something different, I decided to do some Spice Muffins. We love pumpkin and spice and all that, and I’m trying to get into the fall mood (and not skipping straight to the holidays, although that’s my urge). These turned out fantastic, and you can just add more or less of the spice to fit your own preference. Booyah!!!

Simple Spice Muffins / Busy Mom's Helper

Ingredients
4 cups Flour
2 tbsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
2 cups Sugar
1 stick (8 tbsp) Butter, melted
1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Milk
2 tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Pumpkin Spice, plus sprinkling
2 tbsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray two 12-cup muffin tins, or line with baking liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients until well-mixed. Batter will be thick. Scoop the batter into the muffin tins. Sprinkle a little Pumpkin Spice on top of each.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

 Notes: You can add more or less Pumpkin Spice, depending on your own tastes. Makes 24 large muffins.

PB & J Muffins

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Adapted from Edible Perspective

Do your kids love PB & J sandwiches? Mine DEVOUR them….it’s like an absolute favorite no matter how recently we’ve had it, or how often. I don’t mind them, but come on, there’s a limit to how many I can eat, and especially how many I can MAKE!

In my never-ending struggle to find creative, inexpensive and EASY lunches for the kids….that they ALL enjoy…I decided to try PB & J in a different form: MUFFINS. I found these WONDERFUL recipe from Edible Perspective, and just changed some for my own family’s preferences.

PB & J Muffins

Ingredients – Muffins
2 1/4 cup Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
2/3 cup Milk
1/2 cup Applesauce
6 tbsp. Honey
1/4 cup Butter, melted
3 tbsp. Peanut Butter, creamy
1 tbsp. Vanilla
1/2 cup Jelly/Jam

Ingredients – Crumble Topping
6 tbsp. Oats
3 tbsp. Sugar
3 tbsp. Flour
3 tbsp. Peanut Butter, creamy
1 tbsp. Butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with muffin liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix all of the dry muffin ingredients.

In a medium bowl, mix the Peanut Butter, Honey and Butter until smooth. Add the remaining muffin ingredients EXCEPT THE JELLY and mix until well combined.

Pour the butter mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour enough batter into the muffin cups just to cover the bottom. Top with 1-2 tsp. Jelly, then cover with more batter until cups are 2/3 of the way full.

Make the crumble topping: In a small bowl, mix the Peanut Butter and melted Butter until smooth. Add the rest of the crumble ingredients and MUSH together with a fork until crumbly.

Sprinkle the crumble topping on top of the muffins. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean – keep in mind to stick it in the edge, as to avoid the jelly.

PB & J Muffins

Look at that yummy jelly center – ooooh, yummy! The kids absolutely LOVED these, and are now asking for these even more than the PB & J sandwiches!!!

Red, White and Blueberry Muffins

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Red White & Blueberry Muffins / Busy Mom's Helper
Just a Note: due to vacation and moving, new posts will be posted Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with an occasional ‘BONUS’ post. Thanks for allowing me this time with my family!
So I’ve seen about a million 4th of July posts lately: the colors, the fireworks, the USA pride…but it just hasn’t hit me how CLOSE that is. I mean, this week!!! I kept thinking ‘oh, I’ve still got time to get all celebrate-y’. Eeeeeek! So this was our breakfast yesterday, to get us in the spirit of the week – and it’s such an easy one! (I say easy, really I mean it was almost a cheat how easy it was to make this patriotic).
Red, White and Blueberry Muffins
So these 4th of July muffins are very patriotic: Red White & Blueberry, yumm-o!!! (think of Sid’s voice from Ice Age Continental Drift here. What, nobody else has a million kid movie lines running through their head constantly? Just me? Oh well, ignore that, then!)
Red, White and Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
4 cups Flour
2 tbsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
2 cups Sugar
1 Stick (8 tbsp) Butter, melted
2 1/2 cups Sour Cream
2 tbsp. Vanilla Extract
3 cups Blueberries
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Spray two 12-cup muffin tins, or line with baking liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the Flour, Baking Powder and Salt. Add the Blueberries, tossing lightly to coat.
In a separate, medium bowl, whisk the Eggs well, then add the Sugar and continue to whisk briskly until it’s thick and well-incorporated (about 45 seconds). Add the melted Butter, Sour Cream and Vanilla; mix until combined.
Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir together carefully. Batter will be very thick.
Scoop the batter into the muffin cups. Do about 3 randomly-placed drops of red food coloring over the tops of the muffins. Bake about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool and ENJOY!!!
Look at all of that ooey-gooey Blueberry wonderfulness!!! Delish!!!

Pumpkin Choco-Chip Muffins

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I redid these in a much better (and more attractive looking) recipe in this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins post.
Pumpkin Choco-Chip Muffins / Busy Mom's Helper
Adapted from Our Best Bites
 
You know how certain foods remind you of people? Like there’s just such a connection between that food and the memories you have of the person, that it instantly brings them to mind? For example, scones make me think of my Grandma Cole and drunken turkey reminds me of my Father-in-Law. It’s the same with these delicious Pumpkin Choco-Chip Muffins: they remind me of my dad. He LOVES pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, the ones he buys regularly, almost religiously, at the local grocery store bakery. So when I came across this recipe for them in muffin form, I just HAD to give it a try! They turned out so amazing, I’m going to be making a batch when we visit him next month.

Pumpkin Choco-Chip Muffins

Ingredients – Muffins
1 Spice cake mix
1 can Pumpkin (15 oz.)
1 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 bag Chocolate Chips (about 12 oz.)
Ingredients – Crumble Topping
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Flour
1 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
3 tbsp. Butter, softened but NOT melted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray or line with muffin liners two 12-cup muffin tins.
Mix the Cake Mix, Pumpkin, Sour Cream, Oil, Eggs and Vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.  Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 the way full.
Stir the Flour, Sugar and Pumpkin Pie Spice, then ‘smoosh‘ in the butter with a fork until it’s mixed well and resembles crumbs. Sprinkle over each muffin.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool and serve.
Pumpkin Choco-Chip Muffins
Pumpkin Choco-Chip Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Biscuits

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Lemon Poppyseed Biscuits / Busy Mom's Helper
Adapted from Our Best Bites

Don’t you just love it when you make a new thing, and everyone is happy with it? It doesn’t happen often that  6 out of 6 in our household all agree about a meal, but occasionally I hit it right on the mark. This is one of those! I was so glad when every single person was asking for more, especially since breakfast is such an important meal. These were so easy to make, too – double bonus!!!

Lemon Poppy Seed Biscuits

Ingredients – Biscuits
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt (unless using salted butter, then omit)
3 tsp. Poppy Seeds (can decrease if you’d like, just your preference)
1 stick Butter, softened (8 tbsp.)
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 Egg, large
1 Lemon, zest only

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 Degrees. Spray a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper/Silpat.

In a medium bowl, mix the Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, Poppy Seeds, Butter and Lemon Zest. Use a fork to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk the Sour Cream and Egg. Combine with the flour mixture until everything is moistened. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a ball, then press into an 8′ disk.

Lemon Poppy Seed Biscuits

Cut into 8 equal wedge pieces. Place the pieces evenly spaced on the baking sheet.

Lemon Poppy Seed Biscuits

Bake for about 14 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove and let cool.

Ingredients – Glaze
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
2 tbsp. Butter, melted
1 1/3 cup Powdered Sugar

Directions
Mix the three ingredients together in a bowl. Drizzle over the cooled biscuits.

Notes: Makes 8 biscuits.

Lemon Poppy Seed Biscuits