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Sugar Donut Muffins

These muffins were found at All Recipes years ago now and are a total favorite little breakfast treat. I use only 1/2 of the teaspoon of cinnamon the recipe calls for for the sugar topping.

Sugar Donut Muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

 

For the sugar topping:

 1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 24 mini-muffin cups.

Mix sugar, butter, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill each mini muffin cup about half full.

Bake until the tops are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

While muffins are baking, prepare the ingredients for the topping. Place melted butter in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar with the cinnamon. When muffins are slightly cooled dip each one in the melted butter, and roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Let cool and serve.

Country Style Chocolate Chip Cake

I'm a big fan of cakes that start out with cake mix. I've made this several times since orginally finding the recipe on Design Sponge and it always turns out perfect.

Country Style Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients:

1 box instant yellow cake mix
1 box chocolate jell-o instant pudding (small package)
8 oz of sour cream
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup water
1 pack of semi-sweet chocolate chips (small package)

Instructions:

Mix all together (near the end of mixing, pour in 1 pack of semi-sweet chocolate chips and fold into batter). Grease bundt pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 300 degrees for an hour. Let cake cooldisplay on pretty platter!Finish off bundt cake with confectioner’s sugar.

Lemon Sugar Cookies with Zesty Lime Salt

This recipe from the Salty Sweets cookbook my mom recently gave me for my birthday. These were such good little bites...sweet and citrus-y, and buttery too which is always important in a cookie.

Lemon Sugar Cookies with Zesty Lime Salt

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

2 coups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Zest of 1 lime

Instructions:

1. Combine the flour and ½ teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl and mix well.

2. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter for 1 minute, then add ¾ cup of the sugar and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat for 2 more minutes. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough comes together.

4. Combine the lime zest, the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of sea salt in a shallow dish or on a plate (for rolling).

5. Roll the dough into logs 1½ to 2 inches in diameter, then roll the logs into the lime zest mixture. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

6. Preheat the oven to 350’F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

7. Slice the chilled logs into ¼ inch-thick circles and place on baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until just lightly browned on the bottom. Let cool on the baking sheets for about 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Mint Cream Cheese Pound Cake

 

A favorite recipe from one of my Cake Doctor cookbooks... 

 

Chocolate Mint Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Serves: 16

Prep time: 8 minutes

Baking time: 58-62 minutes

 

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan

Flour for dusting the pan

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain butter recipe fudge   cake mix

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at roomtemperature

 ½ cup water

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups (about 28) Andes chocolate mint candies, broken in half

1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, for garnish

½ cup fresh mint sprigs, for garnis

Instructions:

Place a rack in the center of oven and preheat the over to 325 degrees F.  Lightly mist a 10-inch tube pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour.  Shake out excess flour.  Set pan aside.

Place the cake mix, cream cheese, water, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute.  Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed.  The batter should look well combined.  Fold in the candy pieces until they are well incorporated.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula.  Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, 58 to 62 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.  Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack, then invert it onto another rack so the cake is large side up.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes more. 

Slide the cake onto a serving platter, dust it with the confectioners’ sugar, and garnish with the mint sprigs.  Slice and serve.

Store this cake, wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, or in a cake saver at room temperature for up to 1 week.  Or freeze it, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months.  Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Zucchini Bread...

In an attempt to use up the zucchini we have coming out of our garden I search through All Recipes (I always like to find four or five star recipes that have been reviewed by a lot of people...and read the reviews too because you can get great ideas on adjustments) for a bunch of zucchini bread recipes and we tried this one...SO good...Sean has baked four loaves since Thursday and is going to make two more tonight so we've had lot to share with everyone...

Chocolate Chip Orange Zucchini Bread

Yields: 24 servings

 

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate

chips 1 tablespoon orange zest

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Instructions:

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended.

Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, nuts, chocolate chips, and orange rind. Blend in sifted ingredients.

Turn batter into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until bread tests done.

Remove loaves from pans, and cool. Chill before slicing.