Food court

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 squares)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cups miniature semi sweet chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups miniature marshmallows, divided

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Combine egg, buttermilk and oil; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips and 1 cup miniature marshmallows. Fill greased jumbo muffin cups three-fourths full. Sprinkle with remaining marshmallows. Bake at 375° for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Makes 6 muffins.

Coffee Cake Muffins

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325°. Spray 2 12-cup muffin pans with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, almonds and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium high speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Gradually add flour mixture, alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Spoon half of batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle half of brown sugar mixture evenly over batter. Spoon remaining batter evenly over brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture over batter. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and serve warm.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup blueberries

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Streusel

2/3 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

Drizzle

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 375°. Line 6 jumbo muffin cups with paper liner or coat with nonstick cooking spray. To make streusel: With fork or fingers, mix flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add butter until blended and crumbly. For batter: Place flour in medium bowl. Remove 1 tablespoon and toss with blueberries in a small bowl. To remaining flour, add yellow cornmeal, baking powder and salt, mix well. In another bowl, whisk sugar with eggs, milk, melted butter and lemon juice. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in blueberries. Spoon about 1/2 cup batter into each muffin cup, crumble streusel on top. Bake 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes for 5 minutes in pan. To make drizzle: Mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons milk until smooth and pour able. Drizzle over muffins.

Monkey Bread Muffins

1 12-ounce can of biscuits (10 in a can)

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), melted

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to; 375°. Place cupcake liners in a 12-cup muffin pan. With kitchen shears, cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup and melted butter in a separate bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Dip each biscuit piece into the maple butter mixture. Then roll in the sugar mixture. Place 3 to 4 coated pieces in each muffin cup. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks Serve warm. Makes 12.

Sticky Bun Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups pecan halves and pieces

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 15-ounce can pumpkin

1 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

2/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together melted butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Spoon a rounded teaspoonful of butter mixture into each cup of 2 lightly greased 12-cup muffin pans, and top each with 1 rounded tablespoonful of pecans. Stir together flour, sugar, pie spice, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Whisk together pumpkin, canola oil, eggs and water, add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans, filling three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert pan immediately to remove muffins and arrange muffins on a wire rack. Spoon any topping remaining in muffin cups over muffins. Let cool 5 minutes.

Hope you enjoy trying all these muffins. Maybe get the kids or the grandkids involved. Kids love to stir and help you with other tasks, like measuring ingredients. Plus, it’s a good learning experience for them. If you need to reach me, you can email me at judyd2313@frontier.com or drop a line to my attention to the BCR, P.O. Box 340, Princeton, IL 61356.

Buttermilk Poppy Seed Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter, melted

Orange glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Whisk together buttermilk, and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in melted butter. Spoon batter into a lightly greased 12-cup muffin pan, filling three-fourths full. Bake at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack and drizzle with orange glaze.

Orange Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons orange juice

Stir together powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Stir in remaining orange juice until you get the desired consistency.