Recipe #103: Persimmon Muffins

Persimmon Raisin Muffins

I had never tasted a persimmon, but I decided to try it anyway and so looked for a nice recipe for this latest "P" muffin idea. I found two I liked and ended up combining them. At times this has been a bad idea, but in the case of these Persimmon (Raisin) Muffins, I think the experiment succeeded.

I first chose a recipe on the website The Ingredient Guru--Persimmon Raisin Muffins--and then one from the Food Network site--Persimmon Muffins. I started with the Persimmon Raisin Muffins, but when I realized there was no fat and no liquid in the recipe, I quickly changed course, moving to the Persimmon Muffins recipe, making changes to accommodate the ingredients I had already mixed from the first recipe. I was grateful that they came out okay, even delicious. I also added the raisins and pecans that were called for in the first recipe.

The muffins were very good--sweet, moist and healthy with white whole wheat flour and nice spices. I didn't really taste the persimmons, however. I think that's because the fruit has a very mild flavor to begin with. Perhaps I chose fruit that was not quite ripe. I couldn't tell because I'd never eaten persimmons before.

Anyway, I don't think I'll make these again because the persimmons were quite expensive.

Rating: 5 out of 5 (I know, I'm an easy grader)

Next is pine nuts!

Recipe #102: Peppermint Chocolate Muffins

Peppermint Chocolate Muffins

The next muffin type on the "P" list was peppermint, so I looked for peppermint muffin recipes. Not surprisingly, the recipes I found were chocolate muffins with peppermint. I thought that sounded pretty darn good, so I chose Hot Chocolate Peppermint Muffins from the website, One Sweet Mess.

This was a pretty impressive recipe, though I did make a few changes. Instead of butter and coconut oil, I used 1/3 cup oil, and instead of buttermilk I used yogurt and milk combined. I used regular salt instead of kosher salt, and I left out the espresso powder as well as the mini marshmallows. I substituted semi-sweet mini chips for the dark chocolate chips. And because I wanted the peppermint flavor to be front and center (they are, after all, peppermint chocolate muffins), I decided to add a half teaspoon of mint extract and only one teaspoon of vanilla. And though the recipe called for the 1/3 cup of peppermint chips to be sprinkled on top of the muffins only, I used 1/2 cup peppermint chips and added the extra to the batter. Finally, I added a half cup of walnuts.

They were delicious! So good, in fact, my husband has decided these would be the ones he would request for his birthday! They were not too sweet, they were moist and slightly chewy, the peppermint flavor was just right, and the peppermint chips inside melted to small red sweet dots that looked and tasted good! My tasters loved them.

I will be making these again soon! Rating: 5 out of 5

Next "P" Muffin: Persimmon.

Recipe #101: Pecan Banana Praline

Pecan Banana Praline Muffins

I wanted to make pecan muffins as my next recipe, but looking for pecans as a principal ingredient, I found a recipe that also has praline in the title. I've loved praline ever since I lived in Louisiana, so I was pleased to add another "P" to make these muffins extra special. And indeed they were!

I found Praline Banana Nut Muffins at the Lemony Thyme website. They were loaded with pecans--inside and outside (twice!)--which was just perfect. I changed two things in the recipe: I used 2/3 cup oil instead of butter and 1 cup of plain yogurt instead of the cream cheese. Otherwise, I kept to the instructions, including the before- and after-baking praline topping.

These were very good muffins, and my tasters loved them. They were sweet, as you can imagine, but that was okay (though the calorie count was a bit high, I must say).

I would definitely make these again.

Rating: 5 out of 5

We'll be in the "Ps" for a while longer!  Next: Peppermint Chocolate Muffins.

Recipe #100: Pear-Blueberry Muffins

Pear-Blueberry Muffins

For these muffins I chose my tried-and-true King Arthur Flour Basic Muffins, adding 1 cup of diced canned pears with fresh blueberries (for added flavor), as well as 1/2 cup walnuts. I sprinkled the tops with sparkling sugar before baking.

These muffins came out very good and my tasters enjoyed them.

Rating: 5 out of 5.


Next in the "P" category: Pecan Banana Praline Muffins. 

Recipe #99: Oatmeal-Cranberry Muffins

Oatmeal-Cranberry Muffins

Because I had some leftover craisins and plenty of oatmeal, I decided to make some muffins with those ingredients. I chose Oatmeal-Cranberry Muffins, trying not to stray too far from the "O" muffin list that I had just completed.

For these muffins, I chose the recipe, Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins, from the website The Spruce Eats. The recipe used fresh cranberries, all purpose flour and butter, among other ingredients. I substituted white whole wheat flour, margarine, and dried sweetened cranberries soaked in some orange juice. I also sprinkled the tops with sparkling sugar before baking. I also made sure to do as the recipe suggested and soaked the old fashioned oats in the milk before mixing them in. The last time I used old fashioned oats I didn't do that and regretted it.

These muffins were excellent! I would definitely make them again. My tasters enjoyed them also.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Next: Pear-Blueberry Muffins

Recipe #98: Pear Crumble Muffins

Pear Crumble Muffins

I learned my lesson with the canned vs. fresh peaches mistake, this time looking for a recipe that used canned pears. The recipe I chose, Pear Crumble Muffins, from Laura Fuentes' website, produced muffins that were quite nice tasting. The only changes I made were to the flour (I used white whole wheat flour) and I skipped the crumble topping, using sparkling sugar on top instead.

These were quite good, with nice flavor and texture. The photo is from the website, so includes the crumble topping that I didn't add.

I would probably make these again, although perhaps only as a way to use up pears!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Next: More Pears!

Recipe #97: Oreo Double Chocolate Muffins

Oreo Double Chocolate Muffins

On the advice of a friend, I took a step back to the "O" muffins list for this week's muffins, Oreo Double Chocolate Muffins, taken from the website, Tastes of Lizzy T. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the ones I made, so I'm including the photo from the website.

They look delicious, and they were! They were quite sweet, which was fine with me, but at least one of my tasters thought they were a little too sweet (although with a nice texture). I did not add the powdered sugar on top, but otherwise followed the recipe.

I would probably make these again, but perhaps only for a special occasion as the calorie count was high.

I rate these 5 out of 5 for taste an texture.

Next: Back to "P" muffins with Pear Muffins

Recipe #96: Peanut Butter Muffins

Peanut Butter Muffins

Peanut Butter Muffins are next on the list of "P" muffins. On the internet, there were a variety of recipes for Peanut Butter Muffins. Some of them had chocolate chips, a combination which many people like, but I do not, so I chose a recipe that was just peanut butter, Peanut Butter Muffins, from the website Real Simple.

The recipe seemed simple enough, alright, but the results were not that wonderful. I'm not sure why, but they came out kind of gummy and not very flavorful. It might have been because I used natural peanut butter, which was itself kind of gummy. But whatever the reason, I was disappointed that they tasted like bread with peanut butter on it. My tasters were in agreement, although they thought they were okay, for the most part. I won't be making them again, at any rate.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Next on the "P" list:  Pear Muffins!

Recipe #95: Peach Muffins

Spiced Peach Muffins

For the first of the "P" additions to the 201 Recipes book, I chose Peach Muffins. I got this recipe for Spiced Peach Muffins from the King Arthur Flour website.

I didn't get a photo of the ones I made, so I'm using the one the website had for the muffins. 

The recipe yield was two dozen, but I decided to cut it in half and made one dozen. The muffins were quite spicy, which was nice, but since I didn't have the fresh peaches called for in the recipe, I used canned peaches, which made the muffins a little bit too mushy. They tasted alright, but they were a tad bland, I think. My tasters liked them well enough, but I won't be making these again.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Next "P" treat: Peanut Butter Muffins

Recipe #94: Orange Poppyseed Muffins

Orange Poppy Seed Muffins

Another "O" recipe! These muffins were made from a recipe I found on the website, Well-Plated by Erin. They are called Orange Muffins with Poppy Seeds, and they turned out wonderful!

There were plenty of poppy seeds and lots of orange flavor. I didn't change too much in this recipe--just used regular plain yogurt for the Greek yogurt, and instead of using confectioner's sugar on the glaze, I used granulated sugar and made a syrup of sorts. That really added to the muffins. I've found that I don't care for the metallic taste of powdered sugar so I've stopped using it. My tasters really enjoyed these. They were sweet and rich textured. I would make these again, for sure!

Well, we've come to the end of the "O" treats, so we're moving on to the "Ps"!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Next recipe: 

Recipe #93: Orange Chocolate Muffins

Orange Chocolate Muffins

Continuing with the "O" muffins that I'm adding to those in the book, 201 Muffins, I made orange chocolate muffins. For these muffins, I chose Chocolate Orange Muffins, a recipe from a blog called The Hedge Combers, a Cornish foodie website. Being from the UK, the recipe was in metric and had to be translated. But that was the only problem with this recipe. The muffins turned out delicious. I love the combination of orange and chocolate, and these had both in abundance. I added the sugar crystals on top, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. I and my tasters liked them a lot! I would definitely make these again.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Next up:  Orange Poppy Seed Muffins