Small Batch Blueberry Muffins

 These Small Batch Blueberry Muffins are perfect to bake up when you don't need an entire dozen of muffins in the house. They are nice & moist thanks to the addition of creamy Greek yogurt and are bursting with fresh blueberry flavor...

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So I know that summer is on the exit and that the fall season is just about to arrive, but I had to sneak in just one last summer-inspired recipe this year before we dive head first into all things pumpkin spice and apple. ;) 

One thing that we have not been in short supply of this past summer was local blueberries at our weekly farmers market. And one of my absolute favorite things to make with fresh blueberries is homemade blueberry muffins.

The problem is that most recipes I have come across online make a dozen or more muffins. But since it is now just my daughter and I at home together most weeks, we can rarely get through an entire dozen of muffins between the two of us before they go stale no matter how amazingly delicious they may be. Cue my mission to come up with the perfect small batch blueberry muffin recipe!

Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins

These moist Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins are brimming with blueberries and a cream cheese swirl...

When you happen to have been blogging for a few years (or in my case, about 5), you often look back at some of your earliest posts and maybe cringe a tiny bit. And I do stress the tiny bit part. Because it is also pretty awesome to see how far you have come as a blogger and a photographer. :) 

Over the last year or so, I have been very slowly revisiting some of my early yet super popular recipes and giving them a fresh update. And these Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins are definitely deserving of a little spruce-up on the blog. Not that I think my first shot of these muffins was all that bad...

Yes, that is the original photo from when I first published this muffins recipe in 2013. Honestly at the time, I thought I had done a pretty good job with the photos on this one. I mean, they are not horrible. At least the lighting was pretty decent, right? ;) 

But with over 50,000 direct pins from the site and being ranked #8 in my top 10 posts of ALL time, I decided these muffins had more than earned their right to some pretty updated photographs.

Blueberry Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins

These moist and flavorful Blueberry Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins are a perfectly tasty way to use up that garden zucchini...

This is it folks. These Blueberry Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins are my very last ode to summer 2014.  Fall will officially be here in just 4 short days.  

And while I know everyone has pumpkin and apples on the brain already (don't worry... plenty of fall yummy recipes are on their way here very soon, folks!), I also know that everyone is still picking those end-of-season zucchinis from their gardens and snatching them up at super cheap prices at their local farmers markets and grocery stores.

Not only are these moist, tasty muffins the perfect way to use to up that fresh zucchini, they also happen to be a lightened up version of one of the all-time most popular recipes on this blog, my Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins.  

Plus, this is another one of my infamous hidden veggie recipes. ;) And you all know how much I just love hiding veggies in my recipes from my husband and son...

Pinspiration in the Kitchen- Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

When you can get fresh blueberries for a bargain price, you buy them, right?  Spurred by a good deal and a blueberry muffin recipe from King Arthur Flour that I pinned earlier this month, I made a batch of sour cream blueberry muffins the other day.  (CLICK HERE for the recipe.)

Blueberries are one of those berries that freezes very easily, so buying in bulk is a win-win.  I have a batch of warm blueberry muffins now, and a whole mess of blueberries frozen to make muffins or pancakes or to throw in a smoothie later when the leaves start to turn and blueberries are no longer quite so affordable (or juicy, or sweet!) at the store.  I am telling you, folks.  Your freezer really is your grocery budget's best friend, and a wonderful way to still have a little taste of summer right up through the New Year. ;)

The addition of sour cream in the batter made for a deliciously moist muffin.  These were a big hit with the husband who is a huge fan of blueberry muffins. 

Before baking them, I sprinkled some colored sugar crystals on top of the muffins.  Aren't they pretty?? :)

This is definitely my new go-to recipe for blueberry muffins.  This recipe would also work well with raspberries. 

To go directly to this pin for repinning, CLICK HERE.

I am planning on hosting another Pinspiration in the Kitchen Party next Friday, and am looking for co-hosts!  This party will be the big kick-off for my Birthday Celebration week. :)  If you are interested in co-hosting, please email me at thefrugalfoodiemama@yahoo.com.

CLICK HERE for a link to my last Pinspiration in the Kitchen Party. 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins {Good Old Fashioned Recipe Swap}

Good morning everyone! I'm Julie from White Lights on Wednesday. I'm super excited to be swapping blogs and recipes with Carrie today. She's one of my favorite people and favorite bloggers. So I may have scooped her up for myself when I was pairing everyone off. Guilty. Totally worth it.  
So I like to blog about food, a lot. But I talk about some around the house and kitchen tips, and {my fave} blogging. I have a blog income series going right now, and I'm sharing my saga of moving to WordPress with all the down and dirty details. But since we're hear for food, I should probably tell you about two of my favorite recipes: Creamed Corn and Sun-Dried Tomato & Balsamic Shrimp Pasta. These recipes are both totally wicked!   Okay, focus Julie - food for Carrie. I made these muffins at my boyfriend Mike's behest. He called one morning from work to tell me there were freshly baked muffins at the bakery and he needed some when he got home. This is normal behavior in my house. Who am I to refuse my most devoted taste tester? So here we are. Happy Blueberry Muffins. You're welcome.

 

 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins From Taste of Home / Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter, softened 1/3 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour     4 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 1 1 2/ cup frozen blueberries, divided {fresh blueberries work too} Streusel 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into 8 pieces   

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until pale a fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix to combine. Alternate adding flour and milk to butter mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture. Gently stir in 1 1/4 cups blueberries.
4. Portion batter into 12 muffin tin cups, each cup should be about 2/3 full. Put a few blueberries on top of batter in each cup until remaining blueberries are gone.
5. In a medium bowl, combine all streusel ingredients with a fork. You want to work quickly so the butter doesn't melt; the streusel should have a large crumb consistency. Sprinkle streusel over all the muffins until gone.
6. Bake muffins for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove muffins to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thanks so much for having me today Carrie!

Make sure you stop by my blog and check out Carrie's recipe for Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Pork Loin Chops! :)

Today’s the day! I’m so excited to be participating in an Old Fashioned Recipe Blog Swap! Julie {White Lights on Wednesday}, Kelley {Miss Information} and Rachel {i love my disorganized life} have paired up 30 incredible bloggers to trade recipes on each others blogs for the day.

If you want to go see all of the recipes in the blog swap be sure to go and visit one of the host’s  Rachel {i love my disorganized life}, Julie {White Lights on Wednesday} or  Kelley {Miss Information}, to see all the recipes linked up in the swap.

Banana Spice Streusel Muffins

These soft & fluffy Banana Spice Streusel Muffins with a crunchy oatmeal-walnut topping start with a cake mix...

Post updated 10/2/18- These moist & perfect for fall Banana Spice Streusel Muffins deserved some updated photos. I did leave one of the originals down below just so you all can see for yourself why this recipe so desperately needed a little face lift. ;)

I have pretty much been intrigued with creating a muffin recipe from a cake mix ever since I saw these yummy Cake Mix Lemon Blueberry Muffins from This Gal Cooks a couple of months ago.  

Using a cake mix to make muffins?

Why hadn't I thought of that?? Genius! :)

Raspberry Key Lime Cream Cheese Muffins

It occurred to me the other day that I really do need to post a new muffin recipe on here.  My all-time most popular and loved recipe on the blog is my Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins.

And it is in fact my only muffin recipe I have ever posted.

So, yeah... my most popular ever recipe is a muffin recipe and I haven't done another one since??

What was I thinking, right? ;)

Not one that wants to mess with a good thing too terribly much, I decided to work on a little spin of the muffin recipe that apparently made so many of you all drool enough to warrant over 31,000 pins of it on Pinterest! (Yes, the fact that my little ole muffin recipe has made an appearance on Pinterest that many times is still blowing my mind over here.)

I swapped out the blueberries for raspberries and switched out the lemon for a little key lime  to make my Raspberry Key Lime Cream Cheese Muffins. :)  The key lime flavor is very subtle in these muffins.  If you prefer a little more tartness to your key lime, I would suggest adding the optional lime zest to the recipe. 

Raspberry Key Lime Cream Cheese Muffins

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

6049098

Ingredients (12 muffins)

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1/3 cup key lime juice (plus zest of 1 lime-optional)
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries

For the cream cheese "batter"

• 8 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with muffin liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients- flour through the baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients- the milk through the key lime juice and lime zest.

Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients a little at a time. Mix until incorporated, but try not to over mix.

Fold in the raspberries.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until nice and creamy. Gently fold half of the cream cheese "batter" into the raspberry/key lime muffin batter.

Fill each muffin cup in your pan about 2/3 of the way full with your muffin/cream cheese swirled batter. Grab the remaining cream cheese batter and drop one tablespoon of it on top of each muffin. Using the back of a spoon, press the batter into and swirl it around the top of each muffin.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees, turning your muffin tin once halfway through baking. The cream cheese tops of the muffins will get golden edges when done, but shouldn't be brown. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffins should come out clean when done.

Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Yes, my husband ended up adoring these muffins almost as much as their predecessor this recipe was based on.  (And he is a HUGE fan of my Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins. ;) )

The cream cheese "batter" really is what makes these muffins so moist and just so utterly amazing.  

So what do you all think?  Will the protege Raspberry Key Lime Cream Cheese Muffins eventually edge out my original Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins?  Or will the original be difficult to ever top? ;) 

Looking for more recipes to use those sweet, juicy raspberries that are starting to come into season right about now?  How about my...

Framboise Raspberry Cupcakes with a Dark Chocolate Buttercream
Or...

Sweet & Sassy Raspberry Garlic BBQ Sauce

Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Muffins

These super moist & dense Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Muffins are the perfect way to use up that summer zucchini...

I think by now you all know how much I love sneaking hidden veggies into the meals & sweet treats that I serve to my unsuspecting family. ;) I mean, it really isn't necessary for me to hide the healthy green stuff from my 5 year old daughter- she loves all the veggies. 

In fact, she spent her own money to buy fresh beets from the local farmers market last weekend. So nope, it is not the youngest that I have to hide the vegetables from as many would assume. 

It is my adult husband & my grown son who turn up their noses at most anything green or leafy.

So what to do I do? I stoop to stuffing those vegetables into decadent, chocolaty treats like these Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread Muffins I am sharing with you all today. And no one is the wiser (well, except for my daughter who helped me bake these ;) ). 

Cherry Cream Cheese Danish Muffins

These 4 ingredient Cherry Cream Cheese Danish Muffins are the perfectly holiday festive weekend breakfast & come together in less than 25 minutes...

We all know the holidays will be here quicker than we are ready for them.  Am I right? ;)  I mean, I am still over here trying to wrap my head around the fact that November is done and over with and we are now officially 4 days into the last month of 2013.  

Yes, folks.  

In just 21 days, Christmas will be here.  

Whoa... 

Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins

These creamy & moist Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins combine two bright spring flavors- sweet strawberries and tart lemon...

It feels like spring has finally arrived here in my little corner of West Virginia! This whole week has been filled with warmer temperatures, lots of sunshine, and a few spring showers. Last weekend? It felt a little more like January.... 

My son had his first big track meet of the season last Friday and Saturday, and it was in the 20's and 30's the entire time. My daughter, mother, and I shuffled between watching my son run in his events, and then heading to the parking lot to sit in a warm car. I lamented in my head (and aloud) about just why spring had disappeared so suddenly.

But luckily, spring made her presence known again this week (and hopefully she is sticking around for good now!) this past week, and I am in the mood to celebrate in the way that I best know how to- with bright, fresh spring flavors! :) These creamy and moist Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins with their fresh sweet strawberry slices and bright lemon zest and juice are the perfect way to celebrate a sunny spring morning...

Lemon Blueberry Meringue Bars

I will admit it.  Until recently, I haven't been a huge lemon fanatic.  Give me the choice between something chocolate and something lemon, and I am going to go with the chocolate about 9.9 out of 10 times. 

But something strange and unexpected has been happening to my taste palate this summer...

I have been craving and actually wanting lemon flavors! 

Sometimes even over chocolate! <Gasp!>

It all started with those tasty and tart Easy Strawberry Lemonade Cookies I made last month... ;) 

I had a jar of Lucky Leaf Premium Lemon pie filling just hanging out in my cupboard when I read about the Lucky Leaf Recipe Contest on Something Swanky's blog.  It just seemed like fate at that point. ;) 

Using my Lucky Leaf Lemon pie filling, I created my delicious Lemon Blueberry Meringue bars- creamy blueberry meringue floating over a tart lemon custard on a soft, buttery shortbread crust.

I brought these to a covered dish dinner, and as one sweet girl who sampled this said... "It is like a bite of heaven."

I'll take that! ;)

Lemon Blueberry Meringue Bars

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

6052219

Ingredients (12 bars)

For the shortbread crust

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt

• 1 can Lucky Leaf Premium Lemon Pie Filling

For the blueberry meringue

• 4 egg whites, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen blueberries, thawed)

Instructions

Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and the 6 tbsp sugar. Mix in the egg. Then add in the flour and salt and mix until well blended.

Press the shortbread dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, and then freeze for 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Once the dough has been in the freezer for 20 minutes, bake it for 20 minutes rotating once halfway through. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

Once your shortbread crust has cooled, evenly spread over it the entire contents of the can of Lucky Leaf Premium Lemon Pie Filling. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until white and foamy. Add in the 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat using medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes).

Now beat in your blueberries until blended through, about 1 minute.

Spread the blueberry meringue over the lemon pie filling layer with an offset spatula. Form peaks and pretty swirls in the meringue. Bake at 350 for another 8-10 minutes, until the tips of the peaks start to turn a golden brown.

Allow it cool completely before cutting into bars.

Keep any leftovers refrigerated for up to one day.

Enjoy!

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So, how about you?  Are you team Lemon all the way?

Or are you a switch hitter like me? ;)

If you loved this recipe, you might also like my...

Easy Strawberry Lemonade Cookies 

Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins

15 Creative Zucchini Recipes That are NOT Bread

From moist muffins to flavorful & fresh dinner ideas to pies & tarts, put that overabundance of garden zucchini to good use with these 15 Creative Zucchini Recipes That are NOT Bread...

I don't know about you all, but my Facebook feed has been filled with friends & family posting pics of their very generous bounties from their home gardens lately. And these homegrown bounties almost always include a ridiculous amount of zucchini with an offer that they also happen to be free to good homes. ;) Now I like a good, garden grown zucchini as much as the next girl, but you can only bake so many loaves of zucchini bread in a month- am I right?

That is why I made it my mission to go out & search for some of the most creative zucchini recipes out there from a few of my favorite food bloggers. My only requirement? No bread recipes. In fact, I went looking for zucchini recipes that were anything but bread recipes.

I gathered up 15 of the most unique & creative zucchini recipes I could find. Everything from moist muffins to flavorful & fresh dinner ideas to pies & tarts. 

So forget the zucchini bread this week, and try one of these tasty zucchini recipes instead...

Skinny Chocolate Chip Cannoli Dip

You won't miss the fat & calories in this easy dessert dip! Perfect for game day, snack time, or a baby shower...

Oh yes... you read that right.  This food blogger made her first skinny recipe of the New Year! ;)

Don't worry.  I am not making the move to becoming a health food blogger.  I will still be sharing sweet treats and ooey, gooey cheesy things. 

But I am trying to make some smarter choices as far as what I put in my body from here on out.

I love, love, love sweets.  If you have been following me for anymore than 2 weeks, you probably already have an inkling about my mean sweet tooth.