Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes
The first time I saw these a couple months ago, I knew I had to make them. I don’t usually make or eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches very often, but who isn’t familiar with them as a traditional sandwich? I love that the classic dish has been transformed into a fun dessert or snack. What a cute treat to put in a kid’s lunch box for school, too!
To make them yourself, you can find the recipe at Taste and Tell.
Like Deborah, I found that I had to add extra sugar to the icing to give it any sweetness at all. I know the jelly has some sweetness, but the “icing” in its printed form just tastes like extra creamy peanut butter and there’s nothing unique about it without the extra sugar.
Oh, and I used regular peanut butter, not the natural kind that she experimented with.
Straight out of the oven with a slight conical shape
Tip: Flatten the tops gently when they come out of the oven to create an even surface for the icing and “well” of jelly.
Slightly flattened and ready to be iced.
Tip: Spread the icing on in an even layer. Using a small spatula, place the tip in the middle and turn gently to create a hole for the jelly.
Breakfast egg “omelet” muffins recipe
A dozen eggs (hey, they ‘are’ called egg muffins)
2 – 4 Tbs. milk, half and half, etc (whatever you have is fine…it just stretches the eggs a bit further)
1 1/2 – 2 cups “fillings” (sausage, ham, green onions, peppers, tomatoes….again, use what you have on hand or make up new combinations of your own)
1 1/2 – 2 cups cheese
Seasonings of your choice (I usually just add a bit of salt, but I’ve seen some people mention using Spike seasoning in these…about 1-2 tsp.)
Preheat your oven to 375F. Spray a regular 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick spray or use liners.
Chop all your fillings and place a bit of each, including the cheese, into the bottom of the cups. Fill them about 2/3-3/4 of the way full. Beat eggs with the milk (you can skip the milk if you prefer not to mix down your eggs), and season to your liking. Pour egg mixture into each cup, level with the pan edge.
Bake 25-30 minutes. Muffins will puff up a little bit and brown around the edges. Cool before removing from muffin tin.
These are perfect for freezing. I usually make a double batch, freeze them, and then use them for easy breakfasts that the kids can handle themselves. Just microwave for a minute or two, depending on how many you are reheating, and they’re good to go. You simply can’t beat the simplicity, the kids love them, and they’re not that bad for you either! They’re nice for an afternoon or midnight snack, too.
Ever whisked two dozen eggs before? Talk about a workout!
Tip: Use canned diced tomatoes that have spicy onions and peppers already in them. Drain the liquid completely so it doesn’t make your muffins soggy. Adding these gives the muffins a salsa-y kick.
Learning with Chocolate Chips – The ABCs of Playing with Your Food
Do you have a toddler at home that is learning their shapes (or letters, numbers, etc)? Do you want to encourage their learning while preparing food? Using chocolate chips is a perfect and fun way to incorporate little lessons into your cooking.
*Pauses*
*Tries not to giggle*
Okay, so I’m trying really hard to give you guys some excuses to get creative with your cooking. Truth is, I don’t have a toddler at home and I just like playing with my food.
While I tend to make a lot of smiley faces, they can get old and it’s fun to branch out into other designs. With these muffins, I made several shapes. Most of them turned out pretty well, but I must say, chocolate chips are the wrong size and shape to try to make a heart. Oops!
This was my attempt at making a heart. :(
Kids or no kids, doing little things like this only takes a couple extra minutes and makes even adults crack a smile. There’s something about stepping even barely outside the norm that makes all the difference in the world. And even though the muffin is still just a muffin, they somehow taste better when they’re silly, hehe.
Creepy smiley…it’s coming to get you!
Tip: Flip the chocolate tips upside down. Not only do they look less scary, but the pointy tips will actually hold in the batter, while when done the other way, they just pop right off.
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