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OATMEAL CHERRY COOKIES

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We are in full cookie exchange season and I am loving it! This week I participated in an exchange at work and we ended up with seven varieties of cookies (and recipes). SEVEN!!! It had been several years since I last participated in a cookie exchange and I had kind of forgotten how great it is. I love seeing what people bring in and the stories behind the recipes. This is such a great way of using food to create community. With each story that is told about a recipe, we get to know each other a little bit better.

I am a huge fan of any category of dessert – cakes, pastries, tarts, etc. But let’s be real here, cookies are awesome for several reasons. They are typically easy to make. Most recipes make at least a couple dozen cookies which means you have more to share. If you aren’t needing a few dozen cookies to share, you can always freeze them for later. Actually, you can freeze the dough into individual cookie dough balls and then bake them when the craving strikes. OR, you can bake them all from the get go and just thaw them out when you’re ready for a treat. Cookies really do have a flexibility that most other desserts just don’t have.

For this year’s cookie exchange, I reached into my grandmother’s recipe box. To be fair, I chose this Oatmeal Cherry Cookie recipe partly because I already had all but one ingredient in the house and partly because it sounded like a fun twist on the more traditional oatmeal cookie. The maraschino cherries add a different sweetness than the raisins you would typically find in an oatmeal cookie but they also give a festive pop of color. These cookies are a bit smaller than what most recipes seem to make but I actually really love the size. It gives you that sweet treat that you’re looking for without over indulging. This recipe is also perfect for a cookie exchange because it makes FIVE dozen cookies. That’s right, no need to double the recipe. You’ll get five dozen little cookies out of the recipe as it is. You’re welcome.

OATMEAL CHERRY COOKIES

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Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3/4 cup shortening
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 3/4 cup red maraschino cherries, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and cloves. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat shortening, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract.
  • Stir dry ingredients into sugar mixture.
  • Stir in oats and cherries.
  • Drop dough by the teaspoonfuls, two inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes.

Notes

Tip: Wear food safe gloves when chopping the cherries so the food dye doesn’t stain your hands.
Keyword Oatmeal Cherry Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies
Original recipe source unknown. Recipe has been modified from this version for the purpose of this blog.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like:

Peanut Butter Cut-Out Cookies

Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Potato Chip Cookies

Lemon Iced Ginger Cookies

Vegan Shortbread Cookies with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

Stir-N-Drop Sugar Cookies

ORANGE SPICED MONKEY BREAD

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Before we ever met, my husband and I each had a family tradition of making Monkey Bread during the holidays. One year we even had a bake off with the two family recipes. I can’t recall who the judges were but I sadly didn’t win that competition. We had a lot of fun but, if I’m honest, we also had way too much monkey bread for two people to finish off.

A couple of weeks ago we lost my oldest brother in a car accident. There is a void in the family. I loved baking with my brother, Ron. We didn’t see each other often but when we did, activities often revolved around food. He was the bread master of the family and would make delicious loaf breads and bagels. My absolute favorite of his? Orange rolls. Nothing can compare to his orange rolls.

Let me just admit right here that breads are not my specialty. As much as I love baking, I can screw up bread with the best of them. In other words, replicating those orange rolls on my own is not a very realistic goal. To honor Ron’s baking legacy, and still keep things really easy, I’ve mashed up the family tradition of monkey bread with the flavors of his orange rolls. This orange spiced monkey bread is much lighter in flavor than the traditional version. It is bright and sweet and a perfect dish for sharing with family as a dessert or a breakfast option.

ORANGE SPICED MONKEY BREAD

Sarah Baade
Citrus and spices give this monkey bread a bright twist to the classic monkey bread.
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Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • 12 cup Bundt Pan

Ingredients
  

For the Monkey Bread

  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
  • 2 Tablespoons orange zest
  • 2 packages 8-count canned flaky biscuits
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Glaze

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon orange zest

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12cup sized bundt pan.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, ground ginger, ground nutmeg and orange zest. Set aside. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Dip each piece of biscuit into melted butter then coat with the sugar mixture. Arrange coated biscuit pieces evenly in the bundt pan.
  • If you have any remaining melted butter and sugar mixture, stir them together and pour over arranged biscuit pieces. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through.
  • Let cool 5-10 minutes then turn over onto a serving plate.
  • For the glaze, stir together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and orange zest. Drizzle over monkey bread and serve warm.
Keyword Monkey Bread, Orange Monkey Bread, Orange Spiced Monkey Bread
Love and miss you, big brother.

HONEY SRIRACHA SNACK MIX

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There are certain foods that we tend to eat only for special occasions. Holidays, birthdays, Super Bowl, etc. I love that it makes those dishes seem extra special. When you eat them, you instantly have memories of those special gatherings – the people you were with or the event you were celebrating. One of those dishes for me is homemade snack mix. Don’t get me wrong, store bought is great and I routinely buy it for road trips. But homemade snack mix? That’s extra special to me. I can recall the smell wafting through the house as it cooked in the oven. The wait for it to cool enough to eat was excruciating but so worth it.

One of the things I love about cooking and blogging is putting a twist on a classic dish. The flavor options are almost endless with something like snack mix. Salty, sweet, spicy… or a combination like I did for this version. The heat of the sriracha isn’t overwhelming. It’s that type of heat that adds flavor and the presence gradually increases as you eat more and more. Similarly, the honey doesn’t cause excessive sweetness; it adds a balance to the heat and the saltiness. The result? A snack you’ll struggle to put down. You might want to just double the batch so you’ll have enough for friends. 😉

Honey Sriracha Snack Mix

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Course Snack
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup sriracha sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups Crispix cereal
  • 3 cups wheat Chex cereal
  • 2 cups mini twist pretzels
  • 2 cups Cheez-It crackers
  • 1 cup whole, raw cashews, unsalted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250°F.
  • In a large pot over low heat, stir together butter, sriracha, honey, garlic powder, onion powder and salt until butter is melted and all ingredients are incorporated.
  • Remove butter mixture from heat and stir in all remaining ingredients until evenly coated. Transfer mixture into a roasting pan and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
Keyword Honey, Honey Sriracha Snack Mix, Snack, Snack Mix, Sriracha

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like Chili Lime Roasted Cashews.

8 HOLIDAY SIDE DISHES

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I’m going to keep this short. We’re days away from Thanksgiving and we need easy side dishes for the big dinner. I’ve got you covered. I’ve gathered together eight of my favorite side dishes. Each one is easy to make, mostly healthy and definitely delicious. Any and all of these would make a wonderful addition to any dinner table.

1. BROCCOLI AND RICED CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE

2. SWEET TURMERIC ROASTED VEGETABLES

3. LEMON ROASTED BROCCOLI

4. AUTUMN HARVEST SALAD

5. FARM STYLE BISCUITS

6. SWEET POTATO HASH

7. PARMESAN ASPARAGUS AND TOMATOES

8. KALE SALAD WITH LEMON VINAIGRETTE

PUMPKIN BREAD

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There are days when I want to challenge myself in the kitchen. Then, there are days when I just want something easy to make. I’ve been spending a lot of time baking challenging desserts lately. It gives me a great sense of pride to accomplish a recipe from my baking bucket list but it can also take a great deal of time and energy. Life is about balance though and I am thankful for easy recipes! These are my go-to when I want something homemade with limited effort. These are also the recipes that are great for passing along to friends.

When I create recipes, I want them to be achievable, not stressful. My goal is for even a beginner baker to be able to have a successful outcome. Something easy to make that is beautiful on its own and tastes amazing. Quick breads are exactly that. Now that we’re in November, I’m hitting up this pumpkin bread recipe on the regular. It is such a hit with friends and a perfect addition to any get together. Flavorful, moist and easy to make. I’m sure you’ll fall in love with this beautiful pumpkin bread.

PUMPKIN BREAD

Flavorful, moist and easy to make – I’m sure you’ll fall in love with this beautiful pumpkin bread.
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Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted pepitas (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar together. Mix in pumpkin puree then add in eggs and vanilla.
  • Stir in half of the dry ingredients. Add milk and stir to combine. Stir in remaining dry ingredients.
  • Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and top with pepitas. Bake 55-60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Notes

  • In a pinch, you can sub the brown sugar for white sugar. The brown sugar brings out the flavors of the spices a bit more but you’ll get a taller rise from the bread with white sugar.
  • You can butter and flour your loaf pans if you don’t have parchment paper.
Keyword Pumpkin, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Loaf, Pumpkin Spice

BARLEY SOUP

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This has felt like the longest summer I’ve ever experienced. As of a few days ago, we were still hitting temperatures near the 90’s. Did Mother Nature forget to check the calendar? It is already late October?! Truthfully, I love living in a warmer climate. I’ve done my time with cold and snow and I learned it wasn’t for me. That being said, I can’t help but crave a few cooler (not cold) days so I can indulge in winter comfort foods. We are finally cooling off here in Texas and I’m going full out on my comfort food recipes.

I’ve been craving soup lately but my brain has also been wandering back to my recipe for Baby Bella Shepherd’s Pie. The solution? Turn the base of that shepherd’s pie into a soup! The result? Pure satisfaction! This soup is hearty and rich in flavor. Anyone who eats this is going to think you slaved away in the kitchen all day when, in fact, it is simple to make. Bonus? This is one of those recipes that tastes even better as leftovers.

Barley Soup

This hearty soup is rich in flavor yet easy to make – a perfect way to warm up on a cold day.
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Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 large carrots, cut into 1/4″ slices
  • 2 large parsnips, cut into 1/4″ slices
  • 2 lb white mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2/3 cup pearl barley

Instructions
 

  • In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add carrots and parsnips, cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt & pepper. Cook until mushrooms start to sweat. Sprinkle flour over vegetable mixture and stir until evenly coated. Pour in diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, vegetable broth and wine. Stir in tomato paste and barley. Increase heat to bring pot to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 45 minutes or until barely is cooked through.

Notes

  • Having a hard time pulling those thyme leaves off of the stem? Grab a few sprigs and tie them together with kitchen twine. Toss the whole bundle into the soup and simply remove the bundle when soup is fully cooked.
  • This is a thick, hearty soup. If you prefer a thinner soup, you can add water after simmering until you reach the consistency you desire.
Keyword Barley, Barley Soup, Dinner, Easy Recipe, Homemade Soup, Soup, Vegan Recipe, Vegetarian Recipe

BROCCOLI & RICED CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE

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Casserole or hotdish? I only recently even heard of the term hotdish. I’ve looked up several sources trying to get some clarity on the difference between the two. Both include a creamy condensed soup with vegetables and usually meat of some sort. The differences? From what I gather, casserole tends to use a lighter meat like tuna or chicken while a hotdish is more likely to use beef. But honestly, even that seems somewhat vague given you could eliminate meat altogether. The biggest difference seems to be a matter of where you’re from. Hotdish is more of an upper Midwestern term (think Minnesota). Having grown up in Kansas, I’m definitely a casserole gal.

Grab those veggies out of the freezer and soup out of the pantry, we’re making casserole today! Now that the temperatures are finally cooling off here in Texas, I’m ready for comfort food. As you know, I’m also a huge fan of super easy recipes. This is basically a stir and bake recipe – if only every recipe were this easy! You can use it as a side dish or make it the main event.  Either way, this broccoli and riced cauliflower casserole has made it onto the regular rotation of dinner recipes in our house. I’d love to hear what types of casseroles (or hotdishes) are your favorites!

Tips

  • Trying to keep things low carb? Replace the bread crumbs with more shredded cheddar.
  • For added veggies, you can use a riced cauliflower & sweet potato blend.

Broccoli & Riced Cauliflower Casserole

This broccoli and riced cauliflower casserole is basically a stir and bake recipe – Comfort food at it’s best!
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Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 2 cans (10.5oz each) cream of celery soup
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 10.5 oz frozen riced cauliflower
  • 1 lb frozen broccoli florets
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, soup, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese.
  • Stir in riced cauliflower then stir in broccoli.
  • Spread broccoli mixture into a greased 9×13 casserole dish.
  • In a small bowl, stir together butter and breadcrumbs then sprinkle over broccoli mixture.
  • Bake 45 minutes. If breadcrumbs are not golden, turn the broiler on and watch carefully until you achieve golden color.

PUMPKIN SPICE GRANOLA

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I’m going to tell you a secret. This is something I’ve been holding back from you for fear of judgement. Are you ready for it? I don’t like pumpkin spice lattes. I know, it seems almost un-American but I’m hoping you won’t judge me. Seriously though, what I’ve learned over the years is that I very much enjoy it in all sorts of other foods. Pumpkin bread? Sign me up! (In fact, I’m working on my own recipe for a loaf right now.) Scones? Score! Cheesecake? Yes! Just please keep it out of my coffee.

My foodie brain has been stuck on pumpkin spice for weeks. That being said, I’ve also been trying not to overindulge in baked goods. I mean, we haven’t even hit Halloween yet, let alone the major baking holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, I’m easing into this pumpkin spice craving with granola. Eat it as cereal or add it to yogurt for a parfait. For next level breakfast, mix in some dark chocolate chunks and sprinkle it over some toast with peanut butter or even over French toast. Get creative and let me know how you use this delicious pumpkin spice granola!

Tips

  • You can substitute the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice for 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice blend.
  • Store granola in the freezer to keep it fresh and crunchy longer.

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Warm flavors make this the perfect granola for Fall.
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Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup raw, unsalted pecan halves
  • 1/2 cup pepitas
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • Optional: 1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 300°F.
  • In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Spread mixture out on a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake 1 hour.
  • Let cool before serving. If adding in dark chocolate, stir in after granola has cooled.
Keyword Granola, Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkin Spice Granola

EASY VEGETABLE FRIED RICE

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A friend of mine was recently asking about recipes that use frozen vegetables. It occurred to me that I have always used fresh produce in my recipes here. Fresh is great but there are some huge advantages to using frozen veggies when you can. Frozen vegetables are actually less expensive than fresh ones. I did a quick price check at my local grocery store and a bag of fresh broccoli florets was priced at 21c per ounce. Meanwhile, the bag of frozen broccoli florets was priced at 11c per ounce. That is nearly HALF the price! If you’re on a budget, frozen veggies are a great way to get healthy foods on the cheap. Speaking of being budget friendly, frozen vegetables won’t go bad in a few days which means you’re not tossing anything out at the end of the week. You’re getting your money’s worth! Finally, frozen vegetables are already chopped. Let’s be honest, chopping vegetables sometimes takes longer than actually cooking a dish. Precut vegetables are a huge time saver! So, have I convinced you to buy frozen vegetables yes?!

Now, let’s get down to this recipe. I started making fried rice a few years ago because I was simply wanting to use up some leftovers from the fridge. I have a habit of cooking more rice than we need when using it as a side dish.  Rather than tossing out the leftovers or even eating plain rice again later in the week, I chose to repurpose it. The thing about fried rice is that it is actually easy to customize with whatever vegetables or spices are your favorites. Here, I’m giving you a super easy base recipe for vegetable fried rice. From here, feel free to get creative with what you add in. I’d love to hear how you adapt this to make it your own!

Tips

  • It is critical to use rice that was cooked earlier and then cooled. If you use freshly cooked rice, you will end up with a pan full of mush.
  • This is a basic vegetable fried rice recipe but don’t let that limit you. Feel free to add a protein of your choice or a wider variety of vegetables such as snow peas, bell peppers or edamame.

Easy Vegetable Fried Rice

An easy base recipe for vegetable fried rice.
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Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 cups cooked, cold brown rice
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas & carrots
  • 1/2 cup frozen chopped broccoli
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon tamari sauce or low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 large egg, beaten

Instructions
 

  • Heat vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat.
  • Add rice and vegetables to the pan and cook until tender. Mix in garlic, sesame oil, onion powder, and tamari sauce.
  • Push rice mixture to one side of the pan. Pour the egg into the other side of the pan and stir with a rubber spatula until curds form. Stir egg into the rice mixture. Add additional tamari sauce if desired.

Notes

  • 4 servings is based on using this recipe as a side dish. If you prefer to use it as your entrée, double the recipe.
  • It is critical to use rice that was cooked earlier and then cooled. If you use freshly cooked rice, you will end up with a pan full of mush.
  • This is a basic vegetable fried rice recipe but don’t let that limit you. Feel free to add a protein of your choice or a wider variety of vegetables such as snow peas, bell peppers or edamame.

TURMERIC SPICE MUFFINS

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My daughter loves muffins. Like REALLY loves them. I think she’d eat muffins for every meal if we let her. Unfortunately, she’s not into having fruit or grated veggies in her muffins right now – I think it’s a texture issue. So, I won’t be making my favorite, blueberry muffins, any time soon. I don’t want to fill her muffins with chocolate chips every time either so I’ve started experimenting with flavors and spices. To my surprise, and delight, my girl gave me her stamp of approval on these turmeric muffins. “Mama, I like your muffins” is pretty high culinary praise when your critic is only two years old.

Do you remember that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine wants to donate all the muffin stumps? My brain goes to that show every time I make muffins. To be clear, I do eat my muffin stumps and I enjoy them. This particular recipe did something amazing inside the stumps. I tried various amounts of turmeric with each revision of the recipe. The flavor would change slightly but the color ended up with an ombre type of effect regardless of how much turmeric I added. Cut one of your muffins in half before biting in and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Maybe Elaine wouldn’t have been ditching all those muffin stumps if they had been this pretty inside.

Tips

  • You can freeze these muffins and then reheat as needed – about 45 seconds in the microwave should do it.
  • The sugar topping is completely optional but it does add a nice texture and sweetness.

Turmeric Muffins

Turmeric gives a balance between sweet and savory in these ombre shaded muffins.
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Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Optional: course sugar such as turbinado or demerara for sprinkling on top.

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin pan with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture. Add milk then remaining dry ingredients.
  • Scoop batter into muffin pan, filling each cup two thirds full. Lightly sprinkle each muffin with course sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Keyword Breakfast, Muffins, Turmeric, Turmeric Muffins

Looking for other breakfast ideas?

Savory Spinach Turnovers

Farm-Style Biscuits

Vanilla Almond Granola