Blueberry Poppyseed Coconut Crunch Muffins

Whenever I come across a recipe that claims to be the "best" anything, it immediately makes me want to try it. I was craving muffins this morning, so after rummaging through my freezer and finding a bag of frozen blueberries, I decided to try out this recipe for the "Best Blueberry Streusel Muffins" from Barbrabakes.com. I changed the recipe up by adding poppyseed and coconut. I am in love! I don't know why coconut and blueberry don't come together more often! The juicy blueberries are perfectly complemented by the sweet crunchy coconut. The streusel and poppyseed add even more crunch and texture. You should really make these for breakfast. Soon.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Poppyseed Coconut Crunch Muffins

adapted from barbarabakes.com

Yield: 12 muffins

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons poppyseed

3/4 cup coconut

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole milk

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil, or line with paper muffin liners. Prepare streusel topping (recipe below) and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and milk.

Add flour, coconut, poppyseed, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined.

Stir in blueberries.

Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle muffins with streusel topping.

Bake at 350º for 20 to 25 min, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

When muffins are done, cool for a few minutes in the muffin pan before removing to cool on a wire rack.

Streusel Topping:

4 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons coconut

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, coconut and flour. Add oil and mix together until incorporated and you have a sandy texture.

Now get your coffee, sit back, relax, and bliss out on blueberry muffins!

Have a joyous New Year!

Low Carb Berry Shortcake Parfaits

One of the challenges I have encountered with low carb baking is making desserts look elegant and appetizing. Many of the creations I have tried taste great but end up looking less than appetizing. When I was asked to make a dessert for a Memorial Day barbecue, I really wanted to make something delicious AND pretty. I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com and customized it, using a different biscuit recipe and adding raspberries. I was not all that happy with the appearance of the biscuits, but in the parfaits I crumbled them up and I think they turned out pretty elegant! The recipe came together quickly, and it satisfied even the strongest sweet tooth. Some people don't like taste of soy flour but I didn't get any complaints on the biscuits even from non low-carbers. The dough turns out really sticky, but if you dust your hands with a bit of flour and pat out the dough, it turns out well. You can make the biscuits a day or two before you are planning on serving the dessert, just store them in a Ziplock in the fridge. They did come out small so instead of layering them whole

in the parfaits, I crumbled them up. Doing this allows them to absorb more of the liquid from the berries. The whipped cream is just your basic homemade whipped cream, you can add Splenda or not depending on how sweet your berries are. I recommend serving these up in wine glasses for an especially fancy touch. Hope you all enjoy!

Berry Shortcake Parfaits

Adapted from foodnetwork.com

3 pints berries, cleaned and sliced (I used raspberries and strawberries)

• 1/4 cup, or less depending on taste, sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
• 1 recipe low-carb shortcake biscuits (recipe follows)
• Low Carb Fresh Whipped Cream (recipe follows)
• Few sprigs fresh mint

Combine berries and sugar substitute and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Crumble biscuits. Place half of the crumbled biscuit in a wine glass. Top with berry mixture and cream. Sprinkle on more crumbled biscuit and continue layering until you run out of berries and cream. Garnish with whole berries, and fresh mint.

Shortcake Biscuits

Adapted from yummly.com

1 cup soy flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 teaspoons Splenda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

Sift together dry ingredients.

Combine egg with cream and add to dry ingredients. Divide dough into 7 equal balls. Place on baking sheet.

Pat the dough balls into flat circular shapes (do the best you can, remember your going to crumble them anyway). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until firm when pressed.

Allow to cool, store in a ziplock bag until ready to use.

Low-Carb Whipped Cream

From Foodnetwork.com

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar substitute (Splenda is recommended)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

With an electric mixer on high, whip the heavy cream just until frothy. Then add in the sugar substitute and vanilla extract and continue to whip on high until peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip, or cream will break. Store in a pastry bag or glass dish with a lid and refrigerate.

Chocolate Strawberries and Cream Pie

After Easter candy sales depress me. Chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks look down from their discount shelves, never to fulfill their Easter dreams. I always end up buying a few (of the bunnies, sorry chicks but I'm not a fan) and then they sit on my shelf waiting for some higher purpose. And I imagine that being used in this pie would be a chocolate bunny's dream. Well, actually maybe not since they get melted down and spread over a pie crust then topped with fluffy cream and fresh juicy strawberries. But hey, at least they made it out of the store, right?!

*Disclaimer, yes I realize that the bunnies are made of chocolate and probably don't have "feelings"

Chocolate Strawberry and Cream Pie

From Taste of Home

3 ounces chocolate, divided or one big Easter bunny broken into pieces

1/2 tablespoon butter (can be omitted if using a high quality Easter Bunny) `

1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked (use your favorite recipe)

2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Sour Cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled

1/3 cup strawberry jam, melted

In a large saucepan, melt 2 oz. chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly. Note -try to use a good quality bunny or the chocolate will be harder to spread when melted. Spread or brush over the bottom and up the sides of pastry shell.

Chill.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Spread over chocolate layer; cover and chill for 2 hours.

Arrange strawberries over the filling.

Brush with jam. Melt the remaining chocolate and drizzle over the top. Yield: 6-8 servings.

So good!

Light Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Another tasty light option today! Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins. The perfect way to utilize any frozen berries still lurking in the depths of your freezer. The muffins are sweet and tender with berries bursting through in every bite. The lovely thing about this recipe is that it is so very versatile. The original recipe calls for raspberries but really any kind of berry or fruit would be delicious (okay maybe not ANY kind, but most kinds!) The muffins stay healthy thanks to non-fat cream cheese and the use of egg whites. I used even less sugar than called for in the recipe, and some of the reviewers said they halved the butter and added an eighth cup of applesauce. Oh the healthy possibilities!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Adapted from Cooking Light

2/3 cup (5 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl.

Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Gently fold in strawberries. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with foil cup liners in muffin cups.

Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.

The Cooking Light website says that each muffin has 142 calories. If you make the adjustments I made (less sugar, non-fat cream cheese, omit nuts) they are even less than that! So eat two!

Enjoy your weekend!

Linking up to Weekend Wrap Up at Tater Tots and Jello , Motivate Me Monday and Sunday Showcase at By Stephanie Lynn

Marionberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars

One of my favorite memories from school was when my mom would add a special dessert to my lunch. Usually, my lunch consisted of a turkey sandwich, cucumbers, a banana, apple juice, and a chocolate chip cookie (and ALWAYS a little encouragement note, which really was the best part)... But, once or twice a week my mom would put in an extra special dessert. Cookies are usually my favorite dessert, but after a whole week of chocolate chip cookies, my heart would give a little leap when I opened up my lunch bag and found a surprise. And believe me, if I had opened my lunch to one of these oatmeal cookie bars, I would've been thrilled! Bar cookies are my fave; they are easy, come together quickly, and, in this case, require just one bowl and a wooden spoon. These bars are just the kind of thing my mom would've treated me with, crunchy oatmeal cookie crust covered by homemade marionberry jam, finished off with a crunchy oat topping. Perfect for slipping in a lunch box to brighten a dreary school day!

Marionberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars

From allrecipes.com

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup butter, softened

1.5 cups marionberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9x13 inch pan, and line with buttered (or non-stick sprayed) parchment paper. Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture.

Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit more butter.

Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam.

Add a couple more dollops of jam to the top if you like.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

Allow to cool before cutting into bars.

What was your favorite school day snack? I would love to know!

PS Don't forget to vote in the poll on the side bar!

I will be linking up to Made By You Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Rook #17, TaterTots and Jello, Under The Table and Dreaming and Tasty Tuesdays.

Cranberry Fritters

Remember all those cranberries I bought? Well here comes recipe number two! And it's a good'un... You know apple fritters? You like apple fritters? Well, meet their delicious holiday cousin, CRANBERRY FRITTERS (aka cranberry doughnuts). They are quick, festive, AMAZINGLY SCRUMPTIOUS and sorry to say, not the least bit healthy (actually I'm not sorry to say it, everything in moderation, right?)

Cranberry Fritters/Doughnuts

from Taste of Home

Ingredients

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

Oil for frying

Additional sugar

Directions

In a bowl, beat egg; add sugar and butter.

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add to sugar mixture alternately with milk.

Fold in cranberries. Heat oil in an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer to 375° (I don't have either of these so I just used a good ol non stick pan! Just make sure your oil is at 375).

Drop tablespoonfuls of batter into oil. Fry doughnuts a few at a time, turning with a slotted spoon until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels; roll in sugar while still warm. Yield: 1-1/2 dozen.

Hope your week is amazing!