Snickerdoodle Muffins

I got this recipe from Peabody, and made them for New Year's Eve. I made them in a mini muffin tin, and they were so good! They tasted almost like donuts...sooo good!

I will definitely make these again...and big next time! Or small....or some of both! Even if you aren't a snickerdoodle cookie fan, I am sure you will love these!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp cream of tarter
¾ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 and ¼ cup sour cream
2 and ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar and 2 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling

1.Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.
2.In a separate, mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and cream of tarter.
3.Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture in the additions. Start with the flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally.
4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar.. Place muffin in to muffin tin.. Depending on the size of your tins, you should get about 12 to 14 muffins. Bake them for approx. 20-22 minutes in a 350F oven or until they are golden brown.

** I made them in the mini tins, and only baked them for about 10-12 minutes. I didn't grease the pan, and it worked out fine. I think the sugar and cinnamon coating kind of help keep them from sticking. All I did was scoop about a tablepoon of batter and plop it right into the bowl of sugar and cinnamon. I then used my fingers to cover the batter in the sugar, and once the top was covered, I could pick it up to continue coating it in the sugar without getting my hands sticky. Yummy! enjoy! And be sure to go visit Peabody's food blog to learn a very funny story about these muffins, as well as to see the beautiful pictures!

Baked Oatmeal

Ok. Who likes oatmeal? I can eat it fine, but I don't usually love it. Sometimes it is hard for me to get through my entire serving without gagging. I have to sprinkle on sugar, and make sure to add milk to mask the gummy consistency. While my comments are making it sound like I really don't like oatmeal, I do. It's just not my favorite.

Enter Baked Oatmeal. This is seriously good. I just had two servings without complaint. My complaint now is that I am full. But that's good. It's one of the perks about eating oatmeal for breakfast. It is full of fiber, and fills you up good so you aren't wanting to snack. So, on to the recipe.

Baked Oatmeal

6 Cups Quick Cooking Oatmeal
1 Cup Sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into a greased 9x13x2 baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until set. Serve with additional milk.

* I actually halved the recipe and baked it in an 8x8 casserole dish. I only baked it for 35 minutes. It was a bit crispy around the edges, but slightly soft in the middle. Sorta like an oatmeal cookie! I think next time I might leave it in a bit longer to get a little more crunch. I also may add some extras like raisins and cinnamon to make it even more like an oatmeal cookie. Who wouldn't want to eat a cookie for breakfast? Anyway, I did add a little milk to it before eating, and my first serving I sprinkled some cinnamon on top. It is really quite tasty! So, if you are looking for a new way to serve oatmeal, or just a yummy, comfort food for a cold winter morning, this is it! It is super easy to make too. Now that's my kind of recipe!

Oatmeal Pancakes

I decided this is my new favorite pancake recipe. For some reason they are soooo good!

Oatmeal Pancakes

1 ½ c. rolled oats
2 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten

Combine oats and buttermilk. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on a hot skillet, turning when the batter begins to bubble on top.

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk, combine 2 tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar and enough milk to make 2 cups. Let stand for 5 minutes.

* I have made this recipe 3 different ways. The first time I made them, I did not have buttermilk so I used the milk and lemon juice option. I also didn't read the directions very well, and didn't combine the oats and milk first. I just added them all as I went. The batter was a bit thin, so I added more wheat flour until it thickened up. They were delicious.

* The second time I made these I actually had buttermilk, and followed the directions better. This time the batter wasn't thin, and they were great.

* My husband made them the other day, and again we went the milk/lemon juice route. He used all white flour, and the batter was really really thin. He didn't thicken it up, and so the pancakes were really thin. They still tasted good!