ugly cupcakes? i think not...

i have heard it said that muffins are just "ugly cupcakes,"
but i wholeheartedly disagree.
as much as i love cupcakes, i love muffins too.
{in fact, i think i just love baking regardless of what i'm making.}

for those of you who agree with the "ugly cupcake" hypothesis,

those of you whose favorite part of a cupcake is the icing,
these muffins are just for you:

pumpkin spice muffins with built-in cream cheese icing
soooooo delicious :)

image credit

the how-to:
spice cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding (3 oz)
1 cup canned pumpkin
one 8 oz package of cream cheese (softened)
one egg
1/4 cup sugar

make cake mix as directed on box,
add pudding powder and pumpkin.
spoon into paper-lined muffin cups.

beat cream cheese until creamy,
then add sugar and egg, and beat until creamy.

spoon a small amount of cream cheese mixture onto
batter-filled muffin cups and swirl gently.

bake for 18-21 minutes at 350


my mom made these for us a few weeks ago,
and they pair perfectly with a big mug of hot chocolate
or strong coffee early in the morning.
i do believe that a batch of these little guys
is on the agenda for the weekend.

if you decide to make them, let me know what you think!
xoxo


copyright Hiking in Stilettos

Banana Not-so-Coffee Muffins

As I have mentioned before, one of my favorite pastimes is baking, and yesterday I decided to give the Banana Coffee Muffin recipe a try. Although the muffins turned out quite tasty, there was no trace of coffee flavor to be found. I was slightly disappointed since I brewed extra strong coffee and used a bit more than what the recipe suggested. Perhaps next time I will use espresso instead. Even still, they were a delicious addition to my morning cuppa joe.

The muffins did, however, provide an opportunity to utilize the lovely cake stand and serving tray that my sister gave me for Christmas. Merci ma soeur!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup melted butter

4 ripe bananas, smashed

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons strong coffee

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted or raw (I actually used walnuts and placed them on the top of the muffins instead.)

How to:

Preheat oven to 350, and prepare muffin tin with grease or with paper liners. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, coffee and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, mix until it is just incorporated. Fold in the chopped pecans. Pour mixture into a prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

copyright Hiking in Stilettos