Triple Berry Lemon Muffins for SRC

Well, its time for SRC's Group C reveal again (seems like that was the last time I even posted last month... shame on me). Super excited about the blog I had this month and wishing I had more time to test out recipes this month! I was assigned Mommy's Menu this month - Toni is a stay at home mom to seven children in Utah!! Can you believe that she still has time to blog? My excuses look pretty weak now! I absolutely love how creative her blog is and I loved the wide variety of recipes she had available to try. I settled on something quick and adapted it to what I had on hand, but I can't wait to come back and try out her Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars and her Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies. Both of them looked amazing!!

I settled on making Toni's Lemon Raspberry Muffins (in a slightly adapted version using what I had on hand). The results were delicious! Hubby has been eagerly devouring these babies!! Check out the link for the unadapted recipe... see below for my adapted version. Both I'm sure would be equally as delicious!!

Triple Berry Lemon Muffins
Recipe adapted from Mommy's Menu

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• zest of one lemon, finely grated
• 1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries (I used a mix of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 2 x 12 cup muffin tins (or line with paper liners). 
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, cream, water, and oil and mix until combined. Add all at once to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add berries and fold through batter (don't over mix or you will have tough, pink muffins).
3. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tins, filling each tin approximately 2/3 of the way full. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until spring back slightly when lightly pressed.
4. Let cool on a rack. Enjoy!

 So, thats that. Make these, they're amazing!! And check out Toni's blog - you'll find loads of recipes you need to make. I found her blog quite addicting - not unlike pinterest!! :) Thanks Toni for the great recipes to choose from - I'll definitely be back to snoop around some more (only this time I won't have to lurk!).

February 2012 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Quick Breads

Seems like this month has just flown by... I know, I say that every single time I post a challenge, but its true. It is amazing how quickly so much time can pass while it feels as though I haven't had a chance to blink! This month's challenge was really easy and something I've made a lot of. So I decided to try out some flavours and recipes I haven't experimented with much - first - Whole Wheat Soda bread with Oats & Rosemary and second - Coconut Banana Muffins. They both turned out deliciously.

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

First, I'll share the savory recipe with you -  its delicious. Prepare yourself so you don't end up eating two loaves of this stuff all by yourself. Find someone to give it away to, or put it in the freezer, whatever you have to do! Because if you leave it on the counter, you will eat it!!

Whole Wheat Soda Bread with Rosemary &Oats
Recipe minimally adapted from No More Secrets by Adrienne Johnston

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Stir together the flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder and 2 tbsp of the rosemary. Add the oats and stir well. Mix together the buttermilk and the egg. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until it forms a dough.
3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly until a sticky, but manageable dough is formed. Divide into two and form into flattish rounds about six inches in diameter. Place the loaves on parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with oats, remaining tsp fresh rosemary, kosher salt, and a bit of flour. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until lightly browned. They should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

See what I have to resort to in order to get photos? Leaving threatening letters to my family: "Eat & Die!! No Touch!! Needs to be Photographed" LOL!! A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do right?!

Next up, these delectable muffins... coconut, banana and lime! It doesn't get any better than that for breakfast. Get ready to feel like you're somewhere tropical, because these babies will make you feel like you're on the beach!

Coconut Banana Muffins
Recipe adapted from Anna Olson's Back to Baking

Ingredients:

• 2 large, ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cuppacked dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• finely grated zest of one lime
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut milk - refrigerate the can, scrape off the thick white portion and use the clear liquid from the bottom of the can for this recipe.
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Stir the bananas and sugar together, then stir in the egg, lime zest, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut milk.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until combined. Mix in the coconut and spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
4. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the muffins spring back when gently pressed. Let muffins cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin to cool completely. The muffins will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.

Yep, these recipes are pretty delicious. You should try them out when you get a chance!

Thanks Lis for hosting a back to the basics challenge. Sometimes simple is a refreshing change from complex and time consuming. I really enjoyed the break this month, but hopefully back with a more "daring" challenge for March!! :)

This blog has been linked up with Mouthwatering Mondays over at the Sweet Spot. Head on over there to check out what other delicious treats bloggers have baked up this week.
Happy Baking my Friends!