Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins

Before beginning the batter, combine the following and set aside:
˜ 1 ripe banana, squashed until smooth
˜3/4 cup unsweetened apple or pear sauce
˜ 3/4 cup dried cranberries [Craisins], raisins, or dates
˜ 3/4 cup of flaked coconut (I grind mine finely!)
˜ 1 cupssemi-sweet chocolate chips
˜ ½ cup cooked 10-grain cereal
Mix dry ingredients together
2  ½ cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup agave or honey or raw cane sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda [not baking powder!]
5 TBLSP unsweetened cocoa powder (Specially Dark from Hershey’s)
½ cup ground almonds or pecans or walnuts

Make 3 large indentations in the dry mixture:

1. 2 TBLSP lemon juice or vinegar
2. 2 Tb vanilla
3. 1 Tb of canola or olive oil

Before mixing all together, pour over all the dry ingredients

1 Cup of  cranberry juice and 1 cup water
or
1cup apple juice and 1 cup water

Stir the mixture well, then add the ˜fruit-chocolate chip mixture and blend.
Pour into muffin tins sprayed with Pam (makes 2 dozen) and bake 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Dani's Cake Decorating Frosting

1 1/4 c crisco
1/2 c water
2 lb bag powdered sugar
couple capfuls vanilla
pinch and a half of salt
Mix in blender for quite a while until correct consistency.  Add coloring.

Aunt Shanna's Caramel Corn (Like Cracker Jacks)

2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white karo syrup
1 cup butter
1 tsp salt

Boil for 5 minutes on medium, stirring continually.  Remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp soda.  This will foam up; Pour over popcorn.  Spread on cookie sheets. Cook at 250.  Every 15 minutes stir.  Cook a total of one hour. Pour onto counter top and break into pieces.

Muffin Tops

Very filling. I eat one for breakfast and feel full all morning long.

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup walnuts chopped

1/2 cup chopped dates

1 medium banana

1/4 c honey

1/4 cup or more soy milk



Preheatoven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.

place flour, baking powder, salt, and nuts in a food processor and process together for 1 minute, until the nuts are as fine as the flour. Add walnuts and blend a few seconds to chop the nuts coarsely. Mash the bananas with a fork, and place in a 2 cup measuring cup along with the honey. Add soy milk

to make a total of a 1 cup mixture with the bananas and honey. Stir together. Place flour mixture in a mixing bowl. Add dates and banana mixture, and stir briskly until well mixed. Scoop into 6 mounds of batter on a cookie sheet. Briskly rap the cookie sheet on the counter several times, and the mounds will spread into flat circles. Place in 400 degree oven. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.

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Trina's Amazing Cinnamon Rolls/Rolls/Sticky Buns

Combine and let sit 10 minutes (stir together sugar and yeast before adding water):


½ c sugar

2 T yeast

2 c warm water



Mix in:

5 c flour

½ c oil

2 t salt



Gradually add approx. 1 c more flour until dough is smooth and barely sticky (It's a forgiving recipe – don't stress too much over the flour). Cover and let rise until double. Punch down & knead. Knead in more flour if it's too sticky.



For Cinnamon Bread:

Roll into 2 large rectangles, spread with butter, and sprinkle liberally with brown sugar and cinnamon (and raisins if you like them). Roll up, pinching the edges and ends shut, and place the rolls in 2 greased bread pans. Cover and let rise until double. Brush with melted butter and bake 20 minutes at 350. Cover loosely with foil and bake another 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Brush again with butter and remove from pans after 10 minutes to cooling racks.



For Rolls:

Roll dough into 35 balls around the size of ping-pong balls, and place on buttered or parchment-papered jelly roll pan. Cover and let rise till there is almost no space between rolls. Brush with melted butter and bake in preheated (350) oven for 12-15 minutes until the tops just begin to brown. Remove from oven and brush with butter again. Place on cooling racks after 10-20 minutes or serve in pan.



For Sticky Buns:

Prepare as for rolls, but instead of brushing with butter before baking, sprinkle 1 small package of butterscotch pudding mix (vanilla is good too!) over the tops of the rolls. Then mix together:

1 c melted butter

1-1/2 c brown sugar

1-1/2 t cinnamon



Spoon mixture over rolls, and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 10-20 minutes.



For Cinnamon Rolls:

Roll out into a long, large rectangle. Spread with butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon (pudding mix is good here, too). Roll up and slice into 24 rolls (or whatever looks good) Place rolls into two greased 9x13 pans. Cover and let rise till double.



Bake approx 15 minutes at 350 until golden brown. Cool and frost or glaze.



Enjoy!

Sunni's Slightly Healthy Apple Nut Muffins

1 1/2 c light brown sugar, packed
1/3 c vegetable oil
1/3 c apple or pear sauce
1 large egg, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 c white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk or milk or almond milk
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced apples
1 cup pecan pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper muggin cups. Set aside.
Using a mixuter on med, combine brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla and beat until the mixutre thickens. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the liquid mixture alternately with milk.  Mix gently using a rubber spatula to scrape downthe sides of the bowl. DO NOT OVERMIX!  Stir in apples and pecan pieces.

Pour the batter to the top of the muffin cups.  Sprinkle lightly with the topping below.
Topping
1/3 c granulated sugar or fructose
1 tsp butter, melted and cooled

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter.  In a small bowl, combine the sugar and melt butter.  Sprinkle the misture over the tops of the muffins and bake on center rack in oven for 25-30 minutes.
Yields 12-14 muffins.