Fluffy Biscuits

For many years, my ability to make biscuits depended on how well I could crack open a can of Pillsbury. But when we decided to start cutting out processed foods, I knew I'd have to start making my own biscuits.

I experimented with a dozen recipes but discarded each one. This one was too dry or that one tasted too much like baking powder. Or they didn't rise and looked like mini frisbees instead of biscuits.

So I came up with a recipe that worked for my family. And I learned the secret to making biscuits rise. Here it is : don't twist your biscuit cutter (or drinking glass or whatever you use). Just press gently down into the dough and lift up.

See, if you twist the cutter, you seal the edges of the dough. The dough then has to struggle to rise while baking and often just gives up. If you lift the biscuit cutter without twisting, you leave the dough open ended and it can soar!

Okay, so here's what you need:

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup white wheat flour
4 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
4 TBSP butter, cubed
1 cup milk
1 TBSP butter, melted

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles crumb. Stir in the milk and gently combine.

The dough will be sticky, so flour your hands and a cutting board. Gently pat the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass dipped in flour, cut out biscuits. Lift the biscuits with a spatula to a baking sheet. Gently press together any remaining dough scraps and cut into biscuits. Try not to overhandle the dough.

Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter.

See all the flaky layers in this fluffy biscuit? And did you notice how many times I used the word gently in the directions? Being gentle and not twisting the biscuit cutter will yield some pretty awesome biscuits!

Cinnamon Chip Scones

Today is Mr. Lego's 13th birthday, so I made these yummy scones for his special day. He loves these flaky scones and would eat the entire batch if I let him. Then he'd probably ask for more, since he is quickly becoming the typical teenage eating machine!

The important thing to remember about scones is to not overwork the dough. If you do, it becomes too compact and won't flake a bit. If the dough appears too dry, don't freak out. The butter bits throughout the dough will melt and provide the lovely flakiness you want.

The recipe calls for buttermilk, which is something I don't usually have on hand. But substituting milk mixed with some vinegar or lemon juice will produce the same results. For the amount of buttermilk called for in these scones, I measure out 1/3 cup milk into a glass measuring cup, then stir in one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice. I do this before I even start gathering the rest of the ingredients to give the milk a chance to sour.

Now, here's what you need:

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into little cubes
1 egg, separated
3 TBSP honey
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup cinnamon chips

1 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 teas cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until crumbly.

In a measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk (or substitute mentioned above). Stir in the egg yolk and honey until combined. Set the egg white aside. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until moistened. You will probably have a lot of crumbs. That's okay. Gently fold in the cinnamon chips.

With floured hands, form the dough into a ball. The key here is to be gentle and don't squeeze or press too hard. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pat the dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick and 8 inches round.

Brush the egg white over the circle using a pastry brush. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over the dough. With a pizza cutter, slice into 8 wedges and separate slightly.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Check them at 10 minutes. They might look a little moist still around the edges, but do not overbake. Overbaking will make your scones crumbly and dry - not good!

If you want to glaze your scones, allow them cool for about 10 minutes. Then combine 1 cup powdered sugar with some milk (start off with just a couple of teaspoons) until you get the consistency you want. Pour over the slightly cooled scones. Sometimes I glaze them, sometimes I don't.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Every morning for the past few years, I've used protein powder to make a breakfast shake for an extra boost to start my day. Good quality protein powder is pricy, though, so I began to think about using real food ingredients instead of powder. I've been amazed at how much more satisfying my breakfasts are now!

Here's what I use:

1 banana, broken into small chunks and frozen
1/4 cup natural, no sugar added peanut butter
1 TBSP coconut oil
1 cup almond milk (I use unsweetened vanilla)
honey to taste - I use just a squeeze

Place all the ingredients into a blender and turn on the smoothie setting - if you have one. Otherwise, high will do. Blend until you reach your desired smoothness.

The frozen banana chunks make this smoothie nice and thick. If you don't like your smoothies as thick, just add some more almond milk.

The natural peanut butter lends a little graininess and texture. Occasionally I will throw in some ground flax meal for a little fiber which also adds a gritty texture.

I drink this smoothie around 9:00 am and it keeps me going until lunch time. This is a great afternoon pick-me-up snack, too. No matter what time of day, I like knowing that I'm getting my protein from real food ingredients instead of processed powder.

Baked Lemon Donuts

Right before Christmas I found some donut baking pans on sale at Target. My hubby loves donuts, so I snagged the pans in hopes of providing a healthier alternative to fried donuts.

I found this recipe for Baked Lemon Donuts at Barbara Bakes. It calls for lemon Greek yogurt, which I was unable to find. I looked at three different stores, but no luck. So I had to adapt the recipe slightly. The donuts were still moist and yummy with lots of lemon flavor.

Here's what you need:

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur's white wheat)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
1/4 teas sea salt
1 egg
6 oz. plain Greek yogurt
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup buttermilk (plain milk will work)
zest of one lemon

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
juice of one lemon

In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the yogurt, lemon juice, coconut oil, buttermilk and lemon zest. Stir the liquids into the dry ingredients until moistened.

To fill the donut pans, spoon the batter into a Ziploc bag. Snip off one corner of the bag and pipe the batter into the lightly greased pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean.

Combine the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to make a glaze. Drizzle over the warm donuts.

Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins

I've been trying out some new quinoa recipes lately. This one was sent to me by a reader, Deb from Not Inadequate. It combines my love of pumpkin with the the protein power house of quinoa. What's not to like about this recipe?

The kids really liked the muffins, but the person who liked them most was my husband. He declared that these not-too-sweet muffins were the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of coffee. He drank several cups and ate several muffins just to prove it to me!

Here's what you need:

1 1/4 cups white wheat flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
1/2 teas sea salt
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
4 TBSP butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
2 teas vanilla extract
additional brown sugar and cinnamon for the topping, if desired

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Add the cooked quinoa, mixing with a fork to separate the grains.

In another bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, pumpkin, milk and vanilla until smooth.

Gradually stir the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined. Don't overmix.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with batter. If desired, sprinkle the batter with a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon. I keep a spice jar with the cinnamon sugar mixture on hand. This will give it a nice, sweet crunch on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the muffin pan and cool on a wire rack.

I really love that these muffins are healthy. There's not too much sugar and they're full of protein. It's a perfect way to start the day!

See the little light-colored "dots" in the muffin? That's the quinoa!

Deb, thanks so much for sharing your recipe with me! It's already a family favorite!

Sausage Pancake Muffins

Back when I taught in a private school, there were mornings when I didn't eat breakfast. I'd run through the McDonald's drive-thru on the way and pick up a McGriddle sausage sandwich. It was a sweet and savory combination that I really enjoyed. But the amount of sodium and the other unhealthy ingredients soon led me to make the decision to stop eating them. And did anyone besides me ever wonder how they got those little syrup "spots" in the sandwich part?

Goodbye, McGriddles! What could I eat instead?

I experimented with several different recipes to try to recreate those tasty breakfast sandwiches. The best alternative I've found is not a sandwich but a muffin. Well, a pancake in the form of a muffin. Because I didn't want to lose the "grab and go" aspect of the McGriddle.

I took my family's favorite pancake recipe, halved the ingredients, added some sausage and maple syrup and there it was! The perfect sweet and savory breakfast all in one little muffin!

Here's what you need:

1 cup flour
2 TBSP sugar
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas baking soda
1/4 teas salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
2/3 cup milk
2 TBSP real maple syrup
2 TBSP melted butter
1 cup cooked sausage, crumbled

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, maple syrup and melted butter. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Add the sausage and stir again.

Divide the batter among 9 greased muffin cups. Don't use paper liners because the paper will stick to the muffins and be terribly difficult to peel off. Just grease the muffin tin VERY well with butter or olive oil. Also, pour a little water into the empty muffin cups if you're using a 12-cup pan. This keeps the pan from warping in the heat of the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean.

Carefully remove from the muffin tin. I take a toothpick and loosen the edges of the muffins, then lift them out with a spoon. If desired, drizzle with a little more maple syrup.

These freeze well, too. Just allow to cool completely, then place in a Ziploc bag to freeze. To reheat, allow to thaw in the fridge. Heat for 20 seconds in the microwave or for a few minutes in the oven. Of course, all this is assuming they last long enough to freeze.

Cinni-Mini Muffins

I recently went through some recipe files and found this old gem of a mini muffin recipe. I've used this recipe for breakfasts, treats for school, and gifts for neighbors. It's simple but delicious!

Here's what you need:

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk (see note below if you don't have buttermilk on hand)
5 TBSP butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, blend the egg, buttermilk and melted butter together. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Spoon into paper lined mini-muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Melt another 2 TBSP of butter. Combine 2 TBSP sugar and 1/4 teas cinnamon. While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops of each one into the melted butter, then into the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee!

*Note: If you don't keep buttermilk on hand, as I usually don't, simply place 1/2 TBSP vinegar into a measuring cup. Add enough milk to equal 1/2 cup. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

I'm sharing this recipe with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed with Grace. 

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

Now that my air conditioning is repaired, I can bake again! Yay! I'm so excited. And so are my children. The Princess requested muffins for breakfast, so we decided on this one.

The sweetness in these muffins comes from the raspberries. The lemon zest and light lemon glaze provide a nice tartness. These can also be frozen for a later time, so double the recipe and stock your freezer.

Here's what you need:

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk - see my note below
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 egg
1 teas vanilla
1 cup white wheat flour (I use King Arthur's brand)
1 cup unbleached white flour (also King Arthur's)
the zest of one lemon
2 teas baking powder
1 teas baking soda
1/4 teas salt
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (do not thaw!) raspberries
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 TBSP lemon juice

In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, buttermilk, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Stir into the liquid mixture just until moistened. Be careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the raspberries.

Divide the batter among paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Oh, look! These two muffins are kissing!

Combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a glaze. Drizzle over the muffins after they've cooled a bit.

I didn't let mine cool long enough, and most of the glaze dribbled off. Learn from my over eagerness and yours will stick!

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

When I first found this recipe, I wasn't sure how it would hold together. I mean, don't cookies need flour? What about sugar?

Well, the oats in the recipe act as a binder. The sweetness of the bananas and dried cranberries weren't as sweet as sugar but still made the cookies yummy. The applesauce provides plenty of moistness, too.

I didn't think the kids would go for them, to be honest. But boy, was I wrong! They gobbled them up and wanted more. I liked the cookies better when they were slightly warm, but the kids didn't care. Warm or not, they are good!

Here's what you need:

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned (not quick) oats
3 bananas, mashed
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teas cinnamon

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. The batter will be very moist.

With an ice cream scoop or large spoon, drop the batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I got 12 good-sized mounds out of the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and set.

Feel free to substitute raisins or any other dried fruit for the cranberries. Chopped nuts make a nice crunchy addition, too. These cookies also freeze very well and are perfect for a quick breakfast or snack.

Strawberry Muffins

Muffins are a sweet way to start the day. These strawberry muffins are moist and delicious. Even though the recipe calls for a mashed banana, the taste is barely discernible. The strawberries shine in this recipe!

Here's what you need:

2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
An additional 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teas vanilla
1 mashed banana
1 3/4 cups white wheat flour
1/2 teas baking soda
1/2 teas baking powder
1/4 teas salt
1/4 teas nutmeg

In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. The sugar draws out the juices so the muffins stay moist. This process is called maceration.

Let the berries sit for about an hour. There should be lots of liquid by this time.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and additional 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and mashed banana.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Gently stir in the berries with their juices. I didn't think this looked like enough batter for 12 muffins, but it was.

Spoon batter in muffin tin cups lined with paper liners. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack, then remove muffins from the pan and enjoy.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I can't get enough pumpkin. Really, I can't. Until a few weeks ago it was difficult to find canned pumpkin in the store, so I had to raid my stash and was down to my last two cans of pumpkin. Ackkk! I decided to make this yummy pancake recipe for dinner one night, and it was a hit. Paired with a simple cinnamon syrup, it was like eating dessert.

Here's what you need:

1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 egg
2 TBSP oil or melted butter
2 TBSP white vinegar
2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teas baking powder
1 teas baking soda
1 teas cinnamon
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teas ground ginger
1/2 teas salt

In a bowl, mix the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil or butter, and vinegar. Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until no lumps remain. If the batter is too thick, blend in a little water.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan. It's hot enough when you can sprinkle a few drops of water on it and it sizzles. Use approximately 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. When bubbles form on the top of the pancake and it appears dry around the edge, flip over and continue cooking until done.

Serve warm with syrup. Here's the cinnamon syrup recipe if you're interested, though maple syrup is extremely yummy with these pancakes, too.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup water
1 teas vanilla
3/4 teas cinnamon

Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in the evaporated milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Serve warm over pancakes.

Caramel Apple Muffins

October 21 is Caramel Apple Day. So I'm going to share a recipe for Caramel Apple Muffins! I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website, but I modified it slightly to reduce the amount of sugar.

Here's what you need:

2 cups flour (I use half unbleached white, half wheat)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teas baking powder
2 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teas vanilla extract
1/2 cup diced apple
12 caramels, coarsely chopped

For the topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cups quick oats
3 TBSP melted butter
1 teas cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.


In another bowl, mix together the egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Don't overmix, because that will cause your muffins to not rise.



Gently stir in the apples and caramels.



Fill paper-lined muffin cups with the batter. Combine the topping ingredients and spoon over the muffin.


Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. The topping will get all melty and gooey, as will the caramels. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then move to a wire rack.


We loved these muffins because they had all the flavors of a caramel apple without the sticky mess. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Scones with Cinnamon Glaze

Since the beginning of fall, I've had an overwhelming taste for all things pumpkin. So when I came across a recipe at Family, Stamping and FOOD, I knew I had to try it. I tweaked it just a little bit and used a different glaze.

The results were amazing! I followed Candi's advice and used a fork to blend the ingredients. It could not have been easier.

Here's what you need:

2 cups flour (I used half unbleached white and half wheat)
1 TBSP baking powder
1/4 teas salt
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas nutmeg
1/4 teas ginger
6 TBSP brown sugar
6 TBSP cold butter, cut into cubes
1/3 cup canned pumpkin (or your own puree)
1/3 cup half and half cream

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and brown sugar. Using a fork, work in the butter until the mixture is like crumbs.



Add the pumpkin and cream, stirring with the fork until just combined. The batter will be lumpy. Don't overmix it.


Dump the mixture onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to press the dough together into a disk. Knead the disk a few times, then form into another disk, about 1 inch thick and 10 inches wide.



Using a pizza cutter, slice the disk into 8 wedges. Carefully move the wedges onto a greased baking sheet.


Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the scones are puffed and lightly browned. Drizzle with cinnamon glaze.



To make the cinnamon glaze, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 2-3 TBSP milk and 1 teas cinnamon. Drizzle over cooled scones. Just don't count the number of scones in the picture.


These are flaky and not too sweet. Perfect with a cup of coffee! Enjoy!

For more yummy recipes, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday being hosted today At the Well.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Fall is in full swing now that the temperatures have cooled. Last week we broke records for high temps in the 90's! Yesterday it rained and there was a dramatic change in the air. Still, nothing says fall to me like apples.

This recipe is my go-to muffin recipe. It's easy and quick. I use it for blueberry muffins, bacon and cheddar muffins, even chocolate chip muffins. This go around I'm using it to showcase my favorite fall treat - apples!

Here's what you need:

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup of mix-ins - in this case, chopped apples

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Since I'm making apple cinnamon muffins, I added 1 teas cinnamon to the flour mixture.

In another small bowl, combine the milk, egg, and oil. Stir this into the flour mixture just until moistened. The trick to great muffins is to not overmix. Just until moistened, okay?

Now stir in your chopped apples. The batter will be thick and lumpy. That's exactly how you want it! Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.


If you want a little more sweetness, combine brown sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the top before baking.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I love pancakes. Pancakes for breakfast, breakfast for lunch, and especially pancakes for dinner. Fortunately, my family loves them, too. Sometimes I add blueberries, sometimes chocolate chips. Now I add oatmeal.

Oatmeal, you ask? Yes. The addition of oats gives the pancakes a hearty texture and a boost of nutrition. And the pancakes keep you filled up longer. What's not to like about that?

Here's what you need:

1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour (you can use whole wheat or white wheat)
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 TBSP sugar
2 teas baking powder
1 teas baking soda
1 teas salt
1/2 teas cinnamon
1 3/4 cup milk
2 teas vanilla
1/4 vegetable oil
2 eggs

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, vanilla, oil and eggs until well blended. Stir into the oat mixture.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto a lightly greased, heated griddle or frying pan. Cook until done on both sides. Serve hot with syrup or applesauce.